Vomica Hortus Hotel
by Data Girl 3
Summary: Sequel to The Other Virus. The Davis and Cohen family have decided to spend their summer on a cross country road trip. When a sudden storm forces them to take refuge in an old hotel, they find themselves dangerously involved with a centuries-old curse.
1. Prologue

The weather that day was dismal and dreary, with a steady downpour of rain that hit the pavement at a rate akin to corn popping in a microwave. It was almost as if the sky itself was in deep mourning. The entire Bohemian family, sans one, was all assembled within the Condo, their faces reflecting the mood of the weather outside.

"Why didn't he say anything?" Penny finally spoke up, her eyes red from crying. "I mean, we all knew it was coming, but why didn't he tell us he was getting sick?"

"Because that's how he was," Maureen, who had been softly crying on Joanne's shoulder, replied in a voice that seemed weak and cracked. "He didn't want us to start to mourn him before he actually…." For a moment, she trailed off, unable to actually say the word, but then Joanne continued for her.

"He wanted his last month to be as normal as possible, so he pretended that everything was the same."

"He's with Angel, now," Mimi added from her seat on the couch, where she had the one-year-old Rodolfo perched on her lap. "We gotta remember that he's with Angel. I bet he's happy about that."

"Yeah," Mark agreed, rubbing Emily's back from their seats by the metal table. "The happiest he's been since she died." Once again, a mournful silence fell, which was only broken by the sound of a baby starting to fuss in the next room.

"Zack," Emily whispered, recognizing the sound of Mark and her newborn son's cry to be held. Wiping away the tears in her eyes, she started to head off into the bedroom to tend to the infant's needs.

"I'll take care of it, Emily." Everyone in the room started at the sound of Roger's voice. He had barely spoken a word all day, and had been unmoving from his seat at the window, where he'd been staring out at the street below, so his offer to see to his 'nephew' was a surprising act.

"Thank you, Roger," Emily replied, still unable to completely quell her surprise at hearing Roger speaking again. Without another word, Roger disappeared into Mark and Emily's bedroom, closing the door behind him. Once the baby Zack was in his arms, Roger sat down on the bed, gently bouncing the newborn. He was so intent with the child he was trying to calm, he almost didn't realize that the tears were falling from his eyes again.

It had been him who had been out with Collins, the two of them enjoying a drink, when the anarchist had collapsed without any warning at all. He was the one who had to sit in that sh-tty waiting room while trying to reach his friends to tell them what happened. It was because of that fact that he was the first one to hear the doctor's news. According to the doctor, not only had Collins' condition progressed to full-blown AIDS, but he'd also been suffering from a bad case of pneumonia for well over a month. Collins had never told anyone that he'd gotten sick, so the other Bohemians hadn't even realized that he'd been so close to the end. As a direct result, when the doctor had told them that Collins wouldn't last the week, it had been a terrible shock to everyone.

As Roger gently bounced Zack in his arms, he did everything he could to fight the tears that were rapidly forming in his green eyes. The sudden death of Collins had hit him particularly hard. Collins had always been something of a father to him since they met, and now that he was gone…. It was almost as bad as it had been when Angel had died, but it was even worse now. There wasn't going to be anyone coming over on Christmas with their traditional Stoli anymore. He no longer had anyone to sit on the street corner with, sharing a smoke while talking, and there were a whole lot of things he could only talk about with Collins. In spite of how much he cared about Mark and Mimi, he could never feel comfortable in talking about some of those things with them. It was almost like how there were some things you could tell your best friend but not your parents, or vice versa. Among those things were the tormented thoughts that now plagued his mind.

Collins' death was more then just the loss of an irreplaceable friend to Roger. It was also the reminder of the ticking clock that hung over his life, all because of the virus that existed in his veins. With Collins gone, there was no denying the terrible fact that he'd tried so hard to push back to the furthest corner of his mind. He'd tried to forget all about it, after all the things that had happened to him. He had a family. A wife and a small son. He had a life with them, his best friend, and his best friend's family, which included his 'niece' and newborn 'nephew.'

Now Collins was dead, and there was no more pretending that his life was as simple as he'd been pretending it was. There was no more denying that the life and the family he had within the Condo was only temporary. Now there was only one question that remained, and he feared the answer with every fiber of his being. Who would be the next one to go? Him or Mimi?

* * *

**AN: **I'm SO sorry for that. It killed me to do that to Collins, but it was necessary for this story, especially later on. I can promise that it gets more cheerful in the next few chapters. This is, for the most part, a story that focuses on the friendship of the Cohen and Davis family, and I can guarantee a lot of Mark/Roger friendship throughout the story. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this sequel to The Other Virus.


	2. Vacation Planning

**AN:** These next two chapters will be mostly filler, but the plot will eventually pick up. Sorry this took so long. I've been busy with other stuff. It also might be a while before I update my RENT stories again. I have another story I haven't updated in **_forever_**, and I need to get another chapter up on that one as soon as I can. Until then, please enjoy this chapter. (Also, it wouldn't hurt to reread The Other Virus, if you're confused on why Allison's being nice to the Bohos in this chap.)

* * *

It was on a quiet Saturday afternoon, a few days before the schools would close for the summer break, that a large poster of the U.S. map was thumb-tacked to the Condo wall. Throughout the map, different colored pushpins had been placed at various locations, creating a jumbled but sure route from New York to Texas.

"Okay then," Roger began, examining the map. "Just to see if we're all in agreement here, we start by short visits to Saratoga Springs, Cooperstown, and Rochester, for the Museum of Dance, the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the George Eastman House in that order. Then we make our way over to Ohio for _my _destination pick, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, before gradually heading down south, stopping in Kentucky for a visit to Beech Bend, then Alabama, because of that Civil Rights Institute that Maureen and Joanne recommended, also visiting the Birmingham Zoo for the kids. And then we head for Louisiana, so we can keep the promise to Nana about bringing her back some souvenirs from the Voodoo museum down there, before ending our trip in Texas with that visit to San Antonio that Penny requested. Though why she wants to go _there _is beyond me."

"Uncle Roger, for the fifteenth time," eleven-year-old Penny laughed from the couch. "I'm going into Mr. Harris' 6th grade history class next year. He always has his students do a summer project on a historical landmark before taking his class, and since we'd be down around that area, I thought I'd do my project on the Alamo and the Texas Revolution. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the Alamo's supposed to be right across from the Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum."

"Penny, you realize we have a Ripley's museum here in New York, don't you?" Mark questioned.

"Yeah, but the one in Texas would be different, wouldn't it? Just like the Central Park Zoo is different from the Bronx Zoo. Plus, they have _multiple _themes at the museum in Texas."

Mark smiled at his daughter's reply before turning his attention back over to Roger, who was once again examining the map pin-up. Shortly after Collins' funeral, in which he'd naturally been buried next to Angel, Roger had announced his intention of having a family road trip once Penny was finished with school for the year. For the past few weeks, they'd all been going over the planned trip's itinerary, deciding where they would go, and how long they'd be gone from the city. At first, Maureen had been upset that she hadn't been included into the trip, but relented when she found out that Joanne wouldn't have been able to get off of work anyway. Even Maureen couldn't deny that she would be miserable being away from Joanne for so long. As a result, she had agreed to sit this one out.

Today, their trip was in the final planning stages. While Mark, Roger and Penny were going over their route one final time, Mimi and Emily had gone out with Rodolfo and the infant Zack to do some last minute shopping for snacks to bring with them in the car, as well as other odds and ends that needed to be taken along.

As Mark watched Roger examining the map again, his mind wandered, allowing him to remember his hesitations. Mimi and Penny had been completely thrilled by the idea of the family road-trip, a fact that didn't surprise him in the slightest. They had always been the type to jump at the chance for an adventure like this one. Even Emily had voiced her approval of the plan, since she'd never had much chance to have an actual vacation, apart from that week at the Lake Austen Spa Resort a few years ago. Her responsibilities at the Center in taking care of the city's unwanted children, the ones born with HIV or drug addictions, had seen to that.

Mark on the other hand, while he did like the idea of spending this time with his small extended family, couldn't help wondering what had gotten the idea into Roger's head. He'd known Roger all his life, and spontaneity like this, unless it somehow involved Mimi, wasn't like him at all. Up to now, however, Mark hadn't gotten the chance to ask Roger what had brought this sudden change on. Every time he was about to force himself to ask about it, he always ended up thinking better of it when the girls started showing their enthusiasm over the idea. That was always the clincher. He would never be able to talk to Roger about this with them around. He might risk making it sound as if he didn't want them to have this vacation, when he really did.

From the looks of things, he was not going to have any choice but to just keep quiet about his misgivings and go along with Roger's idea. After all, he couldn't deny that his best friend had changed a great deal since they'd started living in New York. This new attitude was most likely just a direct result of it.

* * *

"Just tell me again why you didn't ask Benny and me to watch them while you're gone?" Allison asked the Bohemians, hands on her hips. "I thought we were all friends, now. Or was that Christmas dinner we had together six months ago just a fluke?"

The day had arrived for the Cohen and Davis family to leave on their road trip, and Joanne, Maureen, Nana, Benny and Allison all had come down to see them off. As Mark and Roger checked to see if all their suitcases and duffel bags had been placed into the trunk of the minivan they had rented for the trip, and Penny made sure Rodolfo and Zack were secured in their safety seats, Mimi and Emily were going over last minute arrangements with their friends. However, the fact that Maureen and Joanne had been the ones asked to watch Maya and Wenceslas, the family's pets, seemed to be a minor insult to Allison, and she was making that known.

"We _are_ friends, Allison," Mimi insisted, "but Maya and Wenceslas are a cat and a pig. We didn't think it was a good idea for them to stay with you because of _your_ pet. Gatsby's a dog, remember? Putting Maya and Wenceslas under the same roof with him didn't seem like a smart move. Cats and pigs don't usually mix with dogs."

"And let's not forget the _last _time Gatsby and Wenceslas crossed paths," Emily reminded. "Not to beat a dead horse, since it's all water under the bridge now, but Wenceslas still has a scar on his ear."

"Well, when you put it _that _way," Allison shrugged, giving in, remembering that infamous encounter, back when she'd still bore a prejudice against the Bohemians.

"Besides," Benny spoke up, gesturing to the baby in the stroller he'd been keeping a hand on. "There's also Alvin to take care off. We probably wouldn't be able to take care of him _and _three animals all at once."

As Allison directed her attention over to their young son, the goodbyes continued.

"Now, be sure to give us a call whenever you reach one of your destinations so we'll know where you are, and that you didn't get into a car accident along the way," Nana announced, slipping into her old role of overprotective grandmother. "And make sure to keep to your budget. I do not want to hear that you spent everything on souvenirs in the first tourist trap you come to and need me to wire money from your little rewired ATM machine."

"And bring us back lots of presents!" Maureen's enthusiastic request brought grins to everyone's faces.

"And," Joanne concluded, smiling kindly at her friends, "be safe. Come home soon."

"We will, don't worry," Mark promised as Roger shut the trunk closed. "See you all when we get back, okay?"

The next few minutes were filled with individual hugs and 'see you soon's. Finally, the Davis and Cohen family had gotten settled into the rented minivan with Roger behind the wheel. With one last wave at their friends, the minivan pulled away from the curb, and the road trip began.

* * *

**AN: **Yes, I know that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Ohio didn't officially open until a few months after this story takes place, but please try to overlook that minor inaccuracy.


	3. Unexpected Detour

Fog hung low in the air over the unpaved road that cut through the wooded area, which was being relentlessly pelted with rain. The rented minivan moved slowly along the deserted road, with tires thickly coated with mud from the drenched road, its wipers moving like a metronome at maximum tempo and the glaring headlights cutting through the darkness. From the driver's seat, Roger rubbed his eyes in weariness before sparing a glance at the back seat though the rearview mirror, where the girls and kids were sleeping soundly. This meant only him and Mark were still awake.

As if he knew Roger had been thinking about how they were the only two in the minivan who were not asleep, Mark chose that moment to speak.

"I know you're tired of me saying anything about it, but…"

"Mark, I _know_, okay?" Roger cut him off with an air of exasperation. "But while our wallets are not as empty as they were when we lived in the Loft, we still can't afford any of the really pricey stuff, like those GPS things. I said I'd stop at the first house or gas station I come to and ask how to get back on the interstate. Until then, there's nothing I can do, so…stop being such a girl."

"Lucky for you, Maureen is not here to…"

"Maureen would agree with me," Roger shot back, grinning at the sight of Mark's scowl.

The Bohemian family had turned off the interstate en route to Louisiana in order to find a place to have dinner, but when they tried to return to the interstate, they found that the entry ramp had been closed for construction. When they tried following the signs to the detour, they either made a wrong turn or went too far down one of the back roads. Now, they were in the middle of nowhere, trying to find someone who could help them get back on track.

As Roger continued to drive, while Mark kept a lookout for any sign of civilization, a small noise was heard in the backseat as Penny slipped out of her state of sleep. Looking out the window was enough for her to know the answer to her question before she asked it.

"Haven't found anything yet?" she asked with a small smirk.

"Nothing yet," Mark confirmed. "Do we have any more of those mini pretzels back there, Pen? I'm starting to get hungry."

"Same here," Roger agreed. Penny started to root through the snack bag, searching for the requested mini pretzels.

"Um….no, I think Aunt Mimi ate the last bag sometime after we left the Birmingham Zoo. But we still have some Austin cheese crackers with the peanut butter. Will that do?"

"Yeah, that sounds good," Roger announced. "Thanks, Penny." With a nod, Penny pulled out two packages of the cheese crackers. As she started to pass them up to the front seat, she happened to look ahead and her eyes grew wide.

"Uncle Roger, watch out!" Penny pointed urgently through the windshield. Immediately, Roger slammed a foot down on the brakes. The sudden halt sent the minivan skidding through the muddy back road for a few harrowing seconds until it came to a stop, just short of the giant pond-sized puddle that left the road ahead of them completely flooded. The second they stopped, Roger and Mark heard the others waking up, with Zack starting to cry from being woken up so abruptly.

"What happened?" Mimi asked in confusion as Emily carefully removed Zack from his infant seat to try and calm him.

"The road's been flooded," Mark explained as he and Roger tried to regain control of their nerves. "Is everyone okay back there?"

"I think so," Emily sighed as Zack's crying began to quiet down.

"So, what're we gonna do?" Penny questioned, glancing out the window.

"Don't know," Roger replied, undoing his seatbelt. "Just wait here for a bit."

"Roger, you're not going to go out in _this_, are you?" Mimi cried, staring out at the horrible weather. "You're gonna get soaked!" The 'and you'll get sick' wasn't said out loud, but the musician could still hear the implications of it in Mimi's tone.

"I won't be long," Roger assured her, freeing the old leather jacket from where it had been draped over the car seat. "I'm just taking a moment to see if we can get around this." Before Mimi could argue further, Roger exited the minivan, immediately holding the leather jacket over his head as a makeshift umbrella. Even with the jacket thrown over his head to shield himself from the rain, his face and ends of his hair still were still drenched by the time he reached the starting point of the flooding. Wiping a hand over his eyes to get rid of the excess moisture that impaired his vision, Roger glanced down at the large puddle, wishing there was a way to test how deep it was without getting his pants more soaked than they already were.

"How does it look?" Roger couldn't stop the startled jump at hearing Mark's voice behind him.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Like I was just going to stay in there where it was dry while you're out here getting drenched," Mark pointed out. "Last I checked, you and I were supposed to be best friends." Shaking his head with a reluctant smile on his face, Roger returned his attention to the flooded road, trying to figure out what to do.

"I don't know, Mark," Roger groaned, running a hand over his face in discouragement. "There's gotta be something we can do about this. I really don't want to make everyone sleep in the car. I know for a fact that it's not very comfortable."

"A little off the beaten path, aren't you?" The sound of the unfamiliar voice made Mark and Roger turn quickly in surprise. Standing amongst the trees was a young dark haired man about their age, decidingly attractive and with a confident air about him. In fact, the first impression that the Boho boys had was that he would soon appear in some magazine photo shoot.

"You boys aren't from around here, are you?" the young man asked, casting a brief glance over at the car.

"We're just trying to find the interstate," Mark explained.

"Then you're way off. Although, you'll clearly have very little luck in finding it anytime tonight." The young man gestured to the flooded road in emphasis.

"Yeah, no kidding," Roger replied disparagingly. The young man, however, paid no attention to the shortness of Roger's tone.

"If you wish it," he announced, "you and your family are more then welcome to stay at my family's hotel. It is located just down the road, and we have plenty of available rooms. You'll be allowed to stay there until the roads are no longer flooded."

"Thanks for the offer," Mark smiled reluctantly. "But…we don't really have much money, so…."

"Oh, there's no need for that," the young man waved away the explanation. "We're _always _having people getting lost on this road and needing a place to stay. I'm starting to wonder why we even call it a hotel anymore, since we rarely charge anyone staying there."

"I don't know," Roger frowned slightly. He couldn't really explain it, but after the incident last Halloween, even though he'd been cured from the effects of Kain's attack, he still sometimes found that his instincts and senses were sharper then they were before, and this was one of those times. There was just something about this guy that made him uneasy.

"Well, it'll give us a place to stay, at least for tonight," Mark pointed out. "Besides, it'll probably be more comfortable then the seven of us trying to sleep in the minivan."

"I guess," Roger sighed, unable to find a good argument to that. "Still, we don't even know anything about this guy."

"Oh, how rude of me," the young man smiled kindly. "You may call me Lorcán. Anyway, the hotel is just back down the road a bit. Once you turn around, it'll only take two minutes for you to get there." Roger and Mark were quiet for a moment, thinking it over.

"Let's see what the girls have to say," Roger decided finally. He still didn't completely trust Lorcán, but if Mimi, Emily and Penny wanted to take him up on the offer, he wouldn't be able to deny he was outnumbered.

* * *

"Oh, WOW!" Mimi gazed up at Lorcán's hotel with wide eyes. It was a towering stone building constructed in a gothic revival style, and looked as if it had been taken right out of an old history book on the Middle Ages. "This is it? Oh, I would_ love_ to live in a place like this!"

"I take it you approve," Lorcán noted with a smile as he helped Roger and Mark bring their bags out of the minivan. The rain was just starting to let up now, and was down to a moderate downpour.

"Are you kidding?" Mimi returned the smile widely, scooping Rodolfo up in her arms to stop him from crawling off after a nearby frog. "When I was a little girl, I used to wish that I was a medieval princess, living in a castle, with beautiful gowns, feasts every night, and handsome princes and brave knights coming around to court me."

"Oh," Roger looked up, a trace of hurt in his voice. "Well…in that case, I wish you didn't have to settle for a sometimes washed-up rock star with a temper problem and a lot of baggage."

"Aww, quit selling yourself short, Rog," Mimi smirked, heading back to give him a quick but tender kiss. "You're _way_ better then those stuffy princes or jerky knights. I'd still pick you over them any day, baggage and all."

"Still, Aunt Mimi has a point," Penny grinned, staring up at the old hotel in excited delight. "There's _gotta_ be some great secret passageways in there somewhere."

"It certainly is big," Mark agreed, helping Emily up out of the car, supporting her until she'd gotten her cane ready, before transferring Zack from his car seat to the baby carrier.

"Yeah, which is why I don't want you wandering off, Penny," Emily added. "I really don't want you getting lost. It might take us days to find you in this place."

"I won't, Mom," Penny fought back a laugh, realizing Emily was only joking around with her. "Still, we gotta look around a _little _bit. How often do we get to stay in a place like this?"

"I'll be more then happy to arrange a tour, once you're settled in for the night," Lorcán offered. "But first, let's get you all inside where it's drier."

* * *

She watched as Lorcán led the newcomers through the front doors from the third floor roundel window. There were five of them in all, excluding the two youngest, a baby and a toddler. Those two, however, were not all that important. She was, however, interested in the others. She studied each of them in turn.

The first young man was clearly well-built, with a jaw coated by rough stubble and rather unkempt dirty blonde hair. The other man, bespectacled and a bit on the scrawny side, had much shorter hair that appeared to be blonde at first sight, but when the light hit it at the right angle, it took on a reddish tint. Both of the two men had pale completions, although the first man wasn't as pale as the other one. As for the final three newcomers, they were all female, two grown adults and one young teen girl. The first adult female had tanned skin, long, wavy dark brown hair and a very slender form, while her olive-skinned companion had extremely frizzy mousy-brown hair and was using a cane as she walked, a slight limp noticeable in her step. Last of all was the teen girl with strawberry blonde hair. When the light shining out from the downstairs window shone on her face, it was noticeable that there was a very small bridge of freckles on the bridge of her nose, which seemed to be disappearing from age.

Normally, the woman watching these strangers wouldn't have paid them much attention, but it was their number that interested her. Five individuals, two male, and three female. Could it be that these were the ones that she'd hoped would one day come to this place?


	4. Penny's Shock

**AN: **This chapter is when the weird stuff starts happening. Also, there will be some Roger/Mimi and Mark/Emily family fluff in here as well. As always, I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Please read and review.

* * *

Depositing their bags in the hotel's foyer, the Bohemian family took a moment to look around. The hardwood floors were covered with narrow, plush red carpeting that provided a stair runner to a wooden staircase, which had banisters engraved with elaborate carvings of what looked like climbing ivy and other varieties of plants and flowers. To the left, there was an entryway into a cozy sitting room with gilded furniture, walls filled with portraits of various people, an a crackling fire within a Tudor fireplace that looked as if it had been carved from limestone and marble.

"I hope the décor is to your liking," Lorcán announced. "Normally, I would offer you all a tour of our halls, but judging from the late hour, and the presence of the two young boys with you," Lorcán paused as he glanced at Rodolfo and Zack, both of whom appeared to be dozing off, but then went on. "I trust you'll be much more interested in being shown to your rooms and have the tour in the morning, after Ancelin has served your breakfasts. Now, please, wait here. I'll fetch Dashiell to help you with your bags." With a short bow, Lorcán exited the room through the sitting room before disappearing through a pair of bifold doors.

"He talks funny," Penny stated once Lorcán was out of earshot.

"Yeah, that's just what I was thinking," Mark agreed. "It's like he's from one of those old period movies Cindy watches."

"I still think there's something up with this guy," Roger frowned, instinctively draping an arm over Mimi's shoulder, nearly chuckling at the sight of Rodolfo waking up enough to reach out to him with a wide smile.

"Oh, Roger, please don't worry about it," Mimi assured. "He seems like a nice guy."

"Nice doesn't mean good," Roger replied. "Not to bring it up, but wouldn't you say some of those drunken perverts at the Cat Scratch came off as nice? That doesn't mean they're good, does it? It just means they want to get you into bed." For a brief moment, Mimi's smile faded, but then she shook her head, passing Rodolfo over to Roger.

"The difference between here and the Cat Scratch is that I have _you _here to protect me," she pointed out. "Besides, I can't see him trying anything when we're all together, do you?" Roger was about to argue, but before he got the chance, a short, elderly man in a typical butler suit entered the room.

"Good evening," he greeted. "My name is Dashiell. If you'll follow me, I'll show you all to your rooms." Dashiell moved forward and started to pick up the Bohemian's suitcases.

"Oh, that's not necessary," Emily began. "We can…"

"No, no," Dashiell shook his head quickly. "It's poor manners to make women and children carry their bags, especially when they're guests. Now, please, follow me." The Bohemians all shared an unsure glace, but followed Dashiell up the stairs to the second floor and down a long corridor filled with doors. They finally stopped outside three particular doors.

"I hope these rooms will be to your liking," Dashiell opened the doors to the three rooms as he spoke. "If there's anything at all that you might require during the night, each room is equipped with a phone that connects you directly to a member of the staff, and they'll be able to see to your needs. Have a pleasant night." Giving a short bow, Dashiell shuffled off. As he did so, Penny couldn't help but notice that he seemed sad about something, but quickly forgot about it as her family started to head into their rooms for the night, and took in their splendor. Each of the rooms they had been given contained beautifully carved king sized canopy beds, Edwardian dressers, and marble nightstands. Gossamer curtains were also billowing slightly in the breeze that was wafting in from the Gothic windows.

"Okay, tell me again," Mark gaped, taking in the expensive-looking furniture. "Everyone heard that Lorcán guy saying he wouldn't charge us for staying here, right? Because I don't think even _Benny _could afford to stay in a place like this."

"Yeah, it _is_ rather strange," Emily agreed. There're even cribs for the boys." In emphasis, she gestured to some wrought iron canopy cribs that had been arranged in the bedrooms. Before more could be said, however, Zack started to fuss, indicating that he was getting overtired.

"Hmm, I think _he's_ got the right idea. It's getting pretty late, after all," Mimi acknowledged. "Maybe we should just head off to bed and talk about it more in the morning." After the group said their goodnights, everyone headed off into their designated rooms to settle in.

* * *

Rodolfo's laughs rang through the room as he squirmed around, making all attempts at changing him into his Winnie the Pooh sleeper difficult. While most young parents would grow exasperated with this behavior, Roger and Mimi had no problem with it. For them, it was only an indication that Rodolfo was energetic, further proof that he was their son.

"All right, then," Roger grinned as he finally succeeded in buttoning up Rodolfo's sleeper and started carrying him over to the crib. "I think it's time for you to get some sleep."

"'Tar! 'Tar!" Rodolfo cried as he was laid down for the night." Roger couldn't stop himself from chuckling, knowing what the toddler was wanting, and shared a smile with Mimi as she passed him the black case where he kept his fender stored. Together, they took a seat at the foot of the bed, with Mimi resting her head on Roger's shoulder as he began to play, his rich voice soon accompanying the fluid notes. It wasn't long before Roger's song had lulled Rodolfo off to sleep.

"Yeah, thanks, little buddy," Roger smiled at his sleeping son. "Glad my singing is that entertaining."

"Aw, come on, Roger, babe," Mimi giggled, kissing his cheek tenderly. "I'm sure he loves your voice as much as I do. He only falls asleep because your singing comforts him. It's when they burst into tears; _that's _when you have to worry."

"You're just saying that 'cause you love me," Roger teased, gazing down at her.

"Oh, do I?" Mimi winked. Two could play at the teasing game, after all. "Maybe I just love your voice."

"It that right?" Roger immediately grabbed hold of Mimi's waist to tickle her, grinning even wider as she broke out laughing. "So, you'll be walking out the door if I lost my voice, leaving me to raise our son alone, is that it?"

"Hmmm," Mimi pretended to think, falling back onto bed to try and escape from Roger's tickling. "Just consider yourself lucky that you're also incredibly sexy, and _amazing_ in bed, querido." Laughing along with the Latina, Roger went after her, hovering his body over hers, the two sharing a loving smile followed by a long kiss.

* * *

In the next room over, Mark had pulled out his Bolex camera to film the room he and Emily had been given. He knew that Maureen and Joanne, for starters, wouldn't be too happy if they couldn't at least see this place. Already, the spare duffel bag he brought along was filled with rolls of film featuring the places they'd visited so far, waiting to be watched upon the return to the city for the interest of their friends back home, but there was still room for even more footage within the bag.

As he scanned the camera across the room, Mark soon came across Emily, who was in the middle of a night feeding session with Zack. Watching the nursing through the lens of the camera for a moment, a sly smile started to stretch across Mark's face.

"I'm next in line for that, right?" Mark joked. Emily instantly shot him a look.

"Mark, sweetie, I love you, but you're very lucky that camera of yours doesn't record sound," she spoke while fighting a smile. "Now, could you please film something else for a while?"

"Uh-uh, sorry Emily." Mark's voice carried a hint of laughter as he brought the camera even closer. "But I seem to remember you giving me permission to film you any time I wanted to. Remember?" The memory of that event, which occurred such a long time ago, momentarily left Emily unable to come up with a counterargument.

"When I said that," Emily finally replied, "I didn't think _this_ situation would be a possibility, and I don't believe _you _did at the time, either. So, will you please keep in mind that Zack here will probably want to watch these films when he's older? Seriously, would you want to see home movies that included your mother breast feeding _you_?"

"That's not going to be a problem," Mark insisted. He was finally lowering the camera, but the smile never left his face. "You see, _this_ piece of footage is going straight to my personal collection."

"Oh? You have a personal collection, now?" Emily met Mark's eyes, now mirroring his sly smile.

"Hey, some guys have a collection of porn, I have a collection of footage with you in the shower, or getting dressed…or undressed." In retaliation, Emily shot out her leg to playfully kick him, her foot connecting with his hip, triggering a wave of laughter from both of them.

"And here I was thinking _Roger and Mimi_ were the insatiable ones," she teased as Mark took a seat next to her, the smiles never leaving their faces.

* * *

Penny stood at the window in her room, looking out at the grounds surrounding the hotel, her cotton star-patterned nightgown fluttering in the gentle night breeze. The rain had stopped about five minutes ago, and she now had a good view of the flower gardens out back, complete with a four basin fountain and multiple pergolas. While it was hard to see clearly in the minimal light, she was sure she could even make out a hedgerow maze outside. She and Mimi would have a lot of fun exploring that in the morning, along with the rest of the hotel. Maybe, this little 'detour' on their big family road trip would be a good thing.

Stifling a sudden yawn, the young girl stepped back from the window and started to dig through her bag for her cushion style brush. Ever since she was very little, she needed her hair to have a good brush before bed. It was part of her nighttime ritual, and she found that she slept better when her hair had been brushed beforehand. Her grey-blue eyes sliding shut as the bristles ran through her strawberry blonde hair, Penny took a seat in front of the Edwardian dresser.

When she was finished, Penny lay her brush down, and glanced up at the dresser mirror with a sigh, but it wasn't her reflection looking back at her. Instead, it was a hideously grotesque face with yellowing teeth and eyes, which looked as if it had been decomposing for quite a long time. Letting out a startled gasp, Penny stumbled back from the mirror before dashing out into the hall in a panic. In spite of knowing how she'd outgrown running into her parents' room after a nightmare, she also knew this was different. This time, she wasn't dreaming when she saw that face, and so her instincts were leading her to the room her parents' had been given. However, the moment she burst out into the hall, she collided with a tall figure, letting out another startled gasp as the figure grabbed hold of her arms to catch her.


	5. Playing Fred Jones

The sound of the knock on the door halted Mark and Emily's progress of getting into bed for the night and placing Zack into the crib respectively. Not bothering to put his glasses back on, Mark shuffled over to answer the door with a slightly irritated sigh. From behind him, he could hear a floorboard creak, something that he knew meant Emily was coming up behind him. Upon opening the door, they found themselves facing Lorcán, with a shaken Penny at his side.

"Forgive the interruption, Mr. Cohen, Mrs. Cohen," Lorcán began, gently nudging Penny forward. "But it appears the young miss has had a bit of a fright."

"Penny?" Emily blinked down at her young daughter. "What's wrong?"

"Well," Penny spoke softly, appearing partially embarrassed about Lorcán needing to bring her to her parents' room. "I was just…brushing my hair before bed, like I always do, but when I looked up at the mirror….it wasn't my face."

"What are you talking about?" Mark frowned in confusion. "How _couldn't_ it be your face?"

"I'm quite sure it was nothing," Lorcán stated, reaching out to pat the girl's shoulder with a soft chuckle. "After all, this old place has seen a lot of history. Imaginations tend to run wild within these old walls."

"Thank you, Lorcán," Mark nodded, ushering Penny inside. "We can take it from here."

"Of course," Lorcán replied as he began to back away. "Have a pleasant night." Once they were alone, Emily seated Penny on the bed so they could talk.

"Okay then, sweetie. If it wasn't your face you saw in the mirror, then whose was it?"

"I don't know, that was the problem," Penny explained softly. "I've _never _seen a face like that before. It was all…gross and distorted, and…"

"Penny, it's not that we don't believe you, but were you sure you weren't dreaming?" Mark asked.

"No, I wasn't. I _know _I wasn't dreaming it, because I don't remember waking up." After thinking about it for a moment, the filmmaker made a decision.

"All right, then. I guess I'll go look at this mirror. Emily, stay here with the…."

"Oh, no you don't," Emily cut him off before he could finish. "If you think that I'm going to just sit here while you go off and play Fred Jones, you've got another thing coming. How do we know Penny didn't see something potentially dangerous? If you go over there, and whatever it was is still there…."

"Emily, I'm just going to be one room over to look at a mirror," Mark reasoned. "And besides, someone needs to stay here with Zack." In emphasis, he gestured to the crib, where Zack had already fallen asleep. For a brief moment, the two met each other's eyes, having a nonverbal battle of wills, but Emily eventually let out an irritated huff, giving in.

"All right, fine," she grunted, her face mirroring her disproval. "Just ask Roger to check it out with you, okay? If there _is_ something dangerous running around this place, I'd feel better if you weren't alone."

"Okay, then," Mark agreed to the terms. "I'll ask him to come with me."

"Thank you," Emily sighed, the smile returning to her face.

* * *

Inside Penny's room, Mark took a moment to examine the mirror closely while Roger looked around for anything that could have projected a face onto said mirror. Penny stood by quietly, waiting for their verdict.

"Well, there's nothing unusual in here that we can see," Mark finally decided when the search came up with nothing.

"You believe me though, right?" Penny asked, meeting his eyes. "Because I _know_ I wasn't dreaming it."

"Penny, like I said, it's not that we don't believe you," Mark replied. "But… whatever you saw, it seems to be gone now." Penny gave the mirror in question a wary glance, not saying a word.

"Hey, Penny," Roger spoke up. "Could you tell me again what kind of face it was? I mean, did it remind you of anything, or…"

"No, Uncle Roger," Penny insisted. "I already told Mom and Dad. I never saw anything like it before." When Mark spared a glance at Roger, he was inwardly surprised to see him look relieved to hear that.

"So what am I supposed to do now?" Penny continued. "What happens if it comes back once you're gone?"

"If you see it again," Mark offered, "then your mother and I are right next door, and so are Roger and Mimi."

"Of course, you could always crash with us tonight," Roger offered. "I can't see Mimi minding at all."

"I'm thirteen years old, Uncle Roger," Penny retorted. "I'm too old to run into my parents' room, or my uncle and aunt's room."

"Yeah, but strange faces in mirrors aren't a normal situation, so…." Roger started to point out.

"It's fine," Penny insisted. "Maybe…maybe I just need some sleep."

"If you're sure," Mark nodded. "Just don't keep it to yourself if you see this face again." Penny agreed to do so, and hugged both Mark and Roger goodnight.

* * *

Out in the hall, Roger started to head back to his room when Mark stopped him.

"Hey, what kind of question was that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Asking her if that face reminded her of anything. Don't you think she'd have told us off the back if it did?" Immediately, Roger's face took on an uncomfortable expression, letting Mark know that he was remembering something less than favorable. "What is it?"

"Look, Mark," Roger spoke quietly, glancing at the floor, the way he always did when he was feeling unsure about what to say. "I was just concerned if…what Penny saw…. I was thinking it might have been something like Kain." Mark couldn't hold back the sharp intake of breath at Roger's mention of Kain. That was one of the few things they had a mutual, unspoken agreement to never talk about again, like the fight they'd had the Halloween night after Angel's funeral before Roger had gone off to Santa Fe for a month.

"Roger, Kain's…. You said he was gone for good." Mark spoke in a loud whisper, not wanting to risk having the girls overhear what they were talking about.

"I know. But that doesn't mean he was the only one like him in existence. If there was _another _vampire running around this place, and…if it was even stronger than Kain was…. It just worried me, okay? I don't want to go through that again." As Roger spoke, he unconsciously skimmed his fingers over the two puncture wound scars that resided at the base of his neck. Seeing this action brought an uninhibited image to Mark's mind of how Roger had gotten that scar. Even though he hadn't been present for that event in his best friend's life, it didn't stop his imagination from running wild and concocting up possible ways the bite had occurred, blow-by-blow. The thought of it always left him feeling slightly nauseated.

"Whoa, hey, Markey," Roger's tone suddenly shifted from distant to concerned, recognizing the discomfort in Mark's face. "Listen, I'm sorry for bringing that up. Like I said, I was just worried. You know I care about Penny just as much as you do, and when you told me she'd seen a strange face in the mirror, I immediately thought of the worst case scenario."

"So… do you think it is another….?"

"No, I'm sure it's not. If it was, I'm pretty sure Penny would have been able to compare the face to Kain's."

"But, if it wasn't a vampire," Mark looked back at Penny's door, "then what was it?"

"I don't know," Roger admitted. "But...if there _is _something, then it probably won't make any difference. Remember, we're not going to be here long. After all, how long could that road stay flooded?"

With their concerns put to rest for the time being, the Boho Boys returned to their rooms. If they had spared a moment to look down the hall, however, they would have seen the battered black cat that had been watching them motionlessly the whole time. After they had left the hall and closed the doors to the rooms, the cat began to turn around to walk further down the corridor, vanishing from sight as it did so, as if it was never there.


	6. Exploring the Hotel

When morning came, the Bohemian family was personally escorted downstairs into the hotel's dining hall by Dashiell. Once there, they were immediately introduced to the head cook, Ancelin.

"A fine morning to all of you," Ancelin greeted, ushering them all to the long mahogany table which had already been adorned with finely polished silver serving platters, genuine crystal glasses and hand-painted china plates. "I hope all of you slept well, and worked up a good appetite during the night.

"This isn't right," Mimi gaped, nearly overwhelmed by the mouthwatering smell of the breakfast that had been laid out for them. It was, by all definition, a feast, with bowls of fresh fruit, warm buttermilk biscuits with a choice of honey, jam, or butter, link sausage, crispy bacon, oven-roasted potatoes, cinnamon French toast, Belgian waffles, and fluffy scrambled eggs. To drink, they all had the option of chilled orange juice, coffee, or a variety of teas.

"Ancelin, it's not that we don't appreciate all you've done," Mimi continued, "but… first the rooms and now this? There's no _way_ we're getting all of this for free, and most of the money we have that isn't needed for necessities is being used up by this road trip."

"Oh, posh," Ancelin dismissed Mimi's concern with a wave of her hand. "You young ones don't have to worry about a thing. All of you are guests here, and hospitality is our specialty. If there is anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask, because we won't charge you a cent.

"Now, please sit down and enjoy your breakfast. Afterwards, feel free to explore the grounds. Nothing will be out of bounds here." With a short bow, Ancelin disappeared through the kitchen door with Dashiell.

"I'll say it again," Roger announced as everyone sat down at the table. "There's something wrong with this place. Something about it is bothering me."

"I think you're right," Emily agreed. "It's not like I don't have faith in the kindness of our fellow man, but this does seem a little _too _much. There's gotta be something they have to gain from all of this."

"Well, hopefully," Mark spoke up, "we won't have a chance to find out. Like Roger and I decided last night, we'll be continuing on our way today. The road's probably not as flooded as it was last night, and we can be back on the interstate by the afternoon."

"Dad," Penny looked up suddenly, "We'll still have a little time to explore, won't we? How often are we going to spend time in a place like this? We can't leave without looking around for a little while."

"Penny, I thought you would have wanted to leave soon," Emily pointed out. "After that face you saw last night…'

"Yeah, but I haven't seen it since then," Penny argued. "Even Dad and Uncle Roger said it was gone, whatever it was. Please, Mom? I really want to look around before we leave."

"It might be a good idea to do a little exploring while we're here," Mimi agreed. "No day but today, remember? Besides, I think the boys might like to have a little more time before getting back in that cramped minivan again." When she finished speaking, Mimi smiled over at Rodolfo and Zack, who had their attentions focused on their sippy cup and pacifier respectively.

"We can stay until noon," Roger gave in. "But after that, we're off."

* * *

When everyone had eaten their fill of the breakfast Ancelin had prepared for them, they all headed out to the extensive patio gardens, which were filled with more varieties of flowers than they had seen collectively in their whole lives, along with numerous fountains. No one was surprised, therefore, when Mark pulled out his Bolex camera to start filming the patio garden, with Emily following suit with her Nikon after making sure Zack was secure in his baby carrier.

"I've never seen flowers this big before," Roger noted, placing Rodolfo on the ground to let the toddler crawl around freely. "What do they spray them with? Super-ultimate Wonder Grow?"

"Hey, look!" Penny suddenly cried, pointing. "There's the hedge maze I saw from my bedroom window last night."

"I _love_ hedge mazes!" Mimi cried, her eyes lighting up. In an instant, she was tugging on her husband's arm. "Roger, come on! We have to go check it out!" Roger couldn't have prevented the smile from forming on his face if he tried. Within the ten years Mimi had spent in New York, she had experienced more sh-tty times than most people had to go through in their entire lives, but in spite of that, she'd somehow maintained a certain degree of innocence. That innocence, which was among the many things that had first drawn Roger to her on that fateful Christmas Eve, was most evident in moments like this.

"Okay, we'll go," Roger agreed, not even pretending to put up a fight. No sooner had this been said, Rodolfo's laughter caught everyone's attention. While his parents had been distracted, the boy had crawled off straight into one of the flowerbeds, which was still considerably damp from last night's storm. As a result, he was covered almost head to toe with mud.

"Rodolfo," Mimi laughed, unable to feign sternness. "Great, now I have to give you a bath."

"No, I can take care of it," Emily offered. "I know you want to enjoy the hedge maze, Mimi. I'd be more than happy to give Rodolfo a bath for you so you don't have to miss out."

"You're sure?" Roger asked.

"More than sure. It's no problem at all." After Zack had been passed over to Mark, Emily carried Rodolfo back towards the hotel.

"I kinda feel bad, now," Mimi sighed as she started making her way to the hedge maze with the rest of her family. "Now _she_ can't enjoy the hedge maze."

"Don't be," Mark assured, a smile forming on his face. "Emily's not a maze person anyway. When we first started dating, she told me about an incident that occurred when she was on a field trip with her second grade class. They went to this corn maze for the day, but when it was time for them to leave, one of the chaperones miscounted when counting heads. They didn't realize Emily hadn't even made it out of the maze until the buses returned to the school. By the time the owners of the corn maze found her, completely lost, it was already dark. Truthfully, if I was left in the middle of a corn maze, at night _and_ only eight-years-old, I might be scarred for life, too.

"Trust me, Mimi," the filmmaker concluded as they stepped through the maze's entrance. "I think Emily was glad for an excuse not to go in the hedge maze with us. You don't have anything to feel bad about."

* * *

In a hidden room within the hotel, Ancelin and Dashiell stood side by side, facing the figure standing in the shadows.

"Sir, it appears to be going better than you'd predicted," Dashiell announced. "The olive skinned woman has separated herself from her family, taking the toddler up to the master bath to get cleaned off, and the rest of them have made their way into the hedge maze."

"Most excellent," the cruel voice replied, "It appears this will all be easier that I'd planned. Those fools are playing right into our hands. Now, we must ensure that the task is done correctly.

"Ancelin, you go up to the master bath. Take care of the gimp. You know what to do." The head cook hesitated for a moment, visibly torn.

"For…forgive me for speaking, sir," she spoke, fearfully knowing that she was overstepping her position in questioning her orders, "But…I don't think this is right."

"Why so squeamish, Ancelin?' the shadowy figure responded silkily. "You've performed this task to many souls before. What's brought along this sudden display of a conscience?"

"The others never had young children with them," Ancelin argued. "That little baby, and the toddler, sir. Without their parents to care for them, they'll…. Oh, please, sir. Please spare these ones. They'll be leaving soon anyway, and…."

"ENOUGH!" Ancelin's pleas were silenced by the shadowy figure's booming shout as he rounded on her, stepping out of the shadows and revealing his identity as Lorcán. The dark haired man strode forward until he towered over the head cook, glowering down at her in anger. "It is not your concern what happens to those miserable whelps. If it matters _that_ much to you, I'll be more than willing to deal with them once the five are out of the way. Now, you do as you're told. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," Ancelin gave a short bow, and headed off, a single tear slipping from her eye. Once she left the room, Lorcán turned to Dashiell, who was making a marked effort to avoid eye contact.

"And now for you, Dashiell," Lorcán crooned icily. "You are to head up to the hedge maze, and wait for the others within the inner courtyard. They are sure to find it before long. Once they all arrive… you know what to do."

"I understand, sir," Dashiell replied, obediently bowing as Ancelin had done. "I will do as you ask."

* * *

Mimi and Penny's laughter rang through the air as they dashed through the hedge maze, smiling in delight. Mark and Roger, with Zack in tow, followed close behind, unable to fight the smiles that formed on their faces as they watched the girls fully enjoying their attempts at making their way through the maze. Not even running into dead ends seemed to diminish their spirits.

As the Bohemian family came to another dead end, Mimi started turning to race off in the other direction, but came to a stop when she noticed something in the hedge wall.

"Hey, guys," she called over to Penny and the boys. "Look at this." When everyone came up to Mimi's side, they saw that a section of the hedge wall appeared to cave in slightly, like there was a niche of some kind hidden inside the hedge. Testing a sudden theory, Roger reached out to tap his knuckles against the area in question, and was rewarded by the sound of his fist connecting with wood.

"It's a door," he realized. "What's a door doing in a hedge maze?"

"No idea," Mark noted. "But someone must have gone through a lot of trouble to hide it."

"We should check it out!" Penny suggested eagerly. "Who knows what could be on the other side? Maybe it's some hidden garden or something, and no one's been there for years."

"Just like The Secret Garden," Mimi inputted happily. "My mother used to read that to me when I was little." Smiling, she reached out to push the door open so they could all see what was behind it. The moment her hand touched the door handle, however, a loud, harsh noise split though the air and something large and black flew into her face, causing her to stumble backwards in surprise. Once she'd been steadied by Roger, who had instinctively reached out to grab her, everyone glanced up to see a rather large crow perched on the top of the hedge wall, cawing loudly at them.

"What's gotten into 'im?" Roger wondered aloud, frowning at the angry crow.

"No idea," Mimi shrugged. Once again, she tried to open the hidden door, but the crow flew at her a second time, cawing even louder.

"Guys, maybe we should just walk away," Mark advised. "I think that crow has a nest around here somewhere, and doesn't want us near it."

"Yeah, maybe you're right," Roger nodded. Keeping one eye on the crow, the four friends headed off. Once they'd turned the corner, the hedge door opened, and Dashiell stepped out. Shooting the crow an angry glare, he hurried off in the opposite direction of the Bohemians. He had been so close. If that crow hadn't interfered, those visitors would have walked right into the maze's inner courtyard, and the task Lorcán had given him would have been completed. It was all going to be much harder now that the only remaining option was to pick them off one-by-one. He could only hope Ancelin had experienced better luck in taking care of the woman who stayed behind in the old hotel. If she had, it would mean one less person they had to worry about dealing with.

* * *

Up in the master bath, Emily had finished drying Rodolfo off from his bath, and was helping him into his bib overalls and red sneakers.

"There you go, Rodolfo," Emily announced when she was finished, picking him up. "I think you're getting better at bath time. This is the first time you haven't splashed water everywhere." Once her 'nephew' was secured in her arms, Emily left the master bath and started heading down the hall towards the room Roger and Mimi had been given to retrieve Rodolfo's plush toy of Flower the skunk. When she was opening the door, however, she froze, suddenly feeling like there was someone following her, but when she looked around, she saw that there was no one there. Pushing aside her unease, Emily stepped out of the hall and into the bedroom.

"Okay, now," Emily smiled, sitting Rodolfo down on the bed for a moment. "You sit there for a moment, while I get Flower, okay?"

"'Ower!" Rodolfo cried happily, clearly wanting his toy. Emily chuckled and tousled the boy's hair before crossing the room to rummage through Rodolfo's toy bag for the stuffed skunk. Just as she pulled the toy out of the bag, the door behind her flew open. Jumping to her feet, Emily spun around to face the person in the doorway, immediately stiffening in shocked horror when her eyes registered what she was seeing.


	7. The Doppelganger

Mark pushed open the front door to the hotel, looking around in worry. The Bohemian family had barely gotten out of the hedge maze when the filmmaker had suddenly gotten a bad feeling that something had happened to Emily and made a beeline towards the hotel.

"Dad, I'm sure she's fine," Penny assured. "She probably finished giving Rodolfo a bath and decided to look around the hotel a bit."

"No, she wouldn't have done that without waiting for the rest of us," Mark shook his head. "I'm telling you guys, something's wrong. I just know it."

"But, Mark, how could you possibly know that?" Mimi pointed out, lifting the baby Zack further up onto her shoulder as she spoke..

"It's possible, Meems," Roger admitted bringing his arm up around her waist. "You remember that bad withdrawal you had during that awful rainstorm, don't you? The day before…before Angel got sick? Didn't you ever wonder what got me to come down to your place when I did, when you were supposed to have left for work long before then? It was because I'd suddenly gotten the same uneasy feeling Mark has right now, and I somehow knew you were in some kind of trouble." Mimi bit her lip, suddenly feeling slightly awkward. She knew how much Roger hated talking about her withdrawal, always stating that he never forgot how painful it was, and how he couldn't stand the fact that she'd gone through it, too. So if he was bringing it up now, then he had to be _very _concerned.

"Dad, slow down!" Penny's voice crying out caught Roger and Mimi's attention, alerting them to the fact that Mark was heading up the stairs towards the bedrooms. Before they could make a move to follow him, Mark's voice called out.

"Roger, Mimi! Get up here, quick!" Catching the panicked tone in Mark's voice, the remaining Bohemians climbed the stairs as quickly as they could. When they had made it upstairs, they all instantly saw what had made Mark cry out. Rodolfo was sitting alone in the middle of the hallway, with no sign of Emily or anyone else to keep an eye on him.

"Rodolfo!" Mimi gasped, moving over to her young son's side in the blink of an eye. "What are you doing out here?"

"See, this proves something's wrong," Mark announced. "There's no way Emily would ever leave Rodolfo on his own like this. At least not willingly."

"I think you're right," Roger nodded. "But then, where is she?"

"I don't know," Mark called over his shoulder, already hurrying off. "But I'm finding out."

* * *

The first thing Emily was aware of was her throbbing headache. Sighing in weariness, she tried to move a hand to rub her forehead, but found she couldn't move her arms. Snapping her eyes open, she was momentarily shocked by her surroundings. The room she was in looked like some sort of old medieval dungeon, and in the corner next to her, there was a considerably large pile of what looked horribly like human bones. Instinctively, she tried to back away from the bones, but found that she couldn't. Glancing up, she immediately saw why. Her wrists were secured above her head with a rusty pair of wall-mounted manacles.

"Finally, you've decided to join us, have you?" Lorcán smirked, appearing in the doorway. For the briefest moment, Emily stared at the hotel's owner in confusion until she remembered what had happened. She had been fetching Rodolfo's stuffed Flower when Ancelin had entered the room, completely transparent. Before Emily had gotten over the shock of seeing the head cook as a genuine ghost, Ancelin had transformed into a dark shadow, which had enveloped her in seconds. She must have passed out or something, because she couldn't remember anything after that.

"Lorcán," Emily spoke when she'd gotten the strength to talk. "What's going on? Where am I?"

"A shame," Lorcán commented, acting like Emily hadn't spoken at all. "I was expecting a bit more of a challenge in securing the Agent of Water. No matter. The sooner all of the Elemental Agents are successfully captured, the better."

"What are you talking about?" Emily demanded. "What's an Elemental Agent?" Lorcán instantly fixed Emily with an amused and cruel smile.

"You really don't know what you came here for, do you?"

"Of course I do. We came here because we were lost, and the road got flooded." To her annoyance, Lorcán's taunting smile grew larger.

"And here I was thinking that it was the Agent of Spirit who was supposed to be known for naivety."

"Listen, I don't know who you think I am, or who we are, but whatever it is, my family and I know nothing, all right?"

"What makes you think you _need _to know what you're needed for?" Lorcán crooned, bending down and cupping Emily's chin. "You're here, aren't' you? All five of you are here together, and that is more than enough reason for me to keep you here."

"You can't do this!" Emily pulled against the manacles in anger. "You can't keep me here! Can't keep _us_ here!"

"Oh, can't I?"

"No, you can't! For starters, there are people back home who will notice if we don't come back. Between them, I wouldn't be surprised if they could launch a full police investigation."

"And do these friends of yours know _exactly _where you are?" Emily could only glare, knowing that he'd made a point. Maureen, Joanne and Benny _didn't_ know their exact location, and they probably wouldn't figure it out, since they were probably miles away from the interstate.

"And I wouldn't worry about the rest of your group," Lorcán continued. "They'll be joining you all soon enough."

"How are they supposed to know where I am?" Emily challenged. "Did you plan that far, too? Because you won't exactly be able to lead them down here easily. They'd be too concerned in finding me to just abandon their search and go sightseeing with you. And if you tell them that you found me or something like that, they'd know better than to just follow you. None of us have a completed college degree, but that doesn't mean that they're not smart enough to know that if you 'found me', I wouldn't have let you leave me behind to find them. I'd have gone with you, so I'd be able to get back to them as soon as I could."

"I never said that _I'd _be the one to lead them here," Lorcán glared. "That will be _your _job."

"There's no way I'd do that," Emily laughed at the absurdity. "Not if it's so you can lock us all up and do who knows what to us."

"Actually, you will," Lorcán repeated before stepping aside to allow someone else to enter the dungeon. Emily immediately let out a loud gasp, staring in confusion at the mirror image of herself.

"But…that's me!" Emily whispered.

"Most impressive, wouldn't you agree, Mrs. Cohen," Lorcán taunted. "A perfect doppelganger of you, magically created when you were….sleeping. Don't look so surprised. You've already guessed that we're ghosts. Performing simple magic is very simple for us.

"And this doppelganger is just a physical replica of you, but she even has your personality and mannerisms. I doubt even your own mother could tell the difference. Wouldn't you agree that your precious family would believe she's actually you?" Emily's mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out as Lorcán addressed her doppelganger. "So then, my little decoy. You'll be sure to bring the other Elemental Agents here, won't you?"

"Count on it, Lorcán," the doppelganger smiled, prompting Emily to flinch. This doppelganger even had her voice. It really _didn't_ seem possible for her friends to realize that this Emily was a fake. Noticing her reaction, Lorcán gave a short laugh.

"Oh, do try not to worry, Mrs. Cohen," he smirked. "You'll be seeing your family again before too long. You'll all be together very soon, and you will all be together for eternity before you know it." Turning on his heal, Lorcán began exiting the room.

"Are you going to kill us?" Emily's voice trembled as she spoke, and Lorcán slowly looked back at her in response. An ominous silence fell before he gave his answer.

"Yes." Even after Lorcán had left the room with the doppelganger, Emily was still frozen from the impact of the answer to her question. It wasn't so much the answer that had left her chilled to the bone, but the cold, unemotional tone Lorcán had taken up when he'd replied. If he could actually say that he was planning to kill a group of people in cold blood with that much indifference in his voice, then Lorcán was more dangerous than anything she or any of the other Bohemians could have ever imagined. There was no denying that they were all in serious danger, and it didn't look like there was anything they could do to get out of it.


	8. Infiltration

Mark collapsed onto a seat within the hotel's foyer, feeling useless. He and the others had been searching for over an hour, and they still hadn't found Emily. He had been feeling apprehensive before, but now he was truly worried. He couldn't remember being this upset and scared since Emily had been admitted to the hospital after the car accident that had permanently damaged her leg muscles. Now, he couldn't shake the terrible fear that something very bad had happened to her. Mimi, keeping Rodolfo balanced on her lap, reached out with her free hand to rest it on her friend's shoulder.

"Mark, I'm sure she's fine," she assured, even though her confidence didn't reach her eyes.

"What if she's not?" Mark challenged, not even looking up from his hands that were gripping his pant legs tightly. "For all we know, she's slipped and hit her head somewhere. She might have been walking down a flight of stairs and her cane slipped out of her hand. She can't walk without her cane." Breathing heavily, Mark's hands migrated up to his face, before sliding up into his hair. Roger, who had been staying silent up to now, chose that moment to try to settle his best friend's tangible fear and worry, readjusting his hold on the sleeping Zack as he did so.

"We'll find her, Mark," he insisted in determination. "Just don't give up, okay?"

"I think I remember that I told you the same thing when Mimi went missing," Mark snapped. "Do you need to be reminded about the state we found her in?" Roger's eyes narrowed, trying to block out the emotional blow that statement carried, but it was Mimi who replied to Mark's words.

"The difference between me and Emily is that I spent almost two months living on the street, fighting a heroin addiction," Mimi argued. "I don't think that applies to Emily right now." In any other situation, Mimi would have been extremely angry with Mark for bringing that up again, but she decided to overlook it this time, understanding that he was just worried about Emily. After all, she'd felt the same way last Halloween, when Roger had suddenly disappeared.

At that moment, Lorcán suddenly appeared, stepping into the room.

"Oh, whatever is the matter?" he questioned, glancing around at the four worried faces. "All of you look quite glum right now."

"It's Mom," Penny explained. "We can't find her anywhere."

"Is that right?" Lorcán replied, pretending to be surprised hearing this. "Then it's very lucky I chanced to come in here. I just left Mrs. Cohen in the old library."

"You found her?" Mark jumped to his feet, a multitude of emotions on his face. "Where was she? Is she okay? Was she hurt?"

"I assure you, Mr. Cohen, your wife is just fine," Lorcán assured, leading everyone out of the room and to the old library. "She just happened to chance across one of the secret passageways that reside within these old walls and got locked in. She was very fortunate that the room she got trapped in is one that is well known by the staff, otherwise there's no telling how long she'd be stuck in that passageway."

"I _knew _there were secret passageways in this place," Penny smiled to herself, happy that she'd been right. When Lorcán brought everyone into the library, the Emily Doppelganger looked up from the book she'd been reading in the chase lounge chair.

"Emily," Mark breathed in relief, crossing the room to envelop her in a hug. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, really," the Emily Doppelganger replied, returning the hug before pulling herself to her feet, using the cane to support herself. "Lorcán told you what happened, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did," Mimi nodded. "It's a good thing everyone here knew about that secret passageway, otherwise we'd never have found you."

"I can't believe it, Mom," Penny grinned. "You really found a secret passageway. That's so cool!"

"I'd be happy to show you where it is, if you'd like," the Emily Doppelganger offered, covertly smiling over at Lorcán. Penny's eagerness to see a secret passageway was going to make this easier than they'd originally thought. None of them would suspect that they were being brought into a trap until it was too late. "I believe I still remember where the trigger is." Penny was just opening her mouth to agree to it, but Roger cut her off.

"No, I don't think so," he frowned. "We really need to get going now."

"Aw, Uncle Roger," Penny moaned, looking up at him beseechingly. "Can't we at least just go and….?"

"Penny, I said before that we'd only stay until noon, and it's already past one," Roger interrupted, putting his foot down. "I've had bad feelings about this place since we arrived, and we've already stayed longer than I'd have liked. And it's not just a bad feeling I got, either. Last night, we've had a face appearing in a mirror, and now Emily got trapped behind some hidden door somewhere, and might never have gotten out. Who knows what else might happen if we stay any longer? Next thing you know, they'll be suits of armor coming to life and chasing us with battle axes."

"I'm with Roger," Mark spoke up. "If we stay much longer, something really bad might happen. If someone gets hurt out here, who knows how soon an ambulance can get down here?"

"I think you're right," Mimi agreed. "Lorcán, we appreciate what you've done for us, but we really do need to get going."

"I'm sorry to hear you say that," Lorcán sighed. "But I understand completely. I'd be happy to fetch Dashiell to help bring your bags out to the van.

"Yeah, you do that," Roger replied, passing Zack back over to Mark and heading out of the room. "Mark, you and the girls get our stuff together. I'm going to start up the minivan." As Roger made his way down the stairs to get the minivan ready to leave, Mark led the way up to the rooms to pack up their bags. No one noticed the meaningful glance that Lorcán and the Emily Doppelganger exchanged.

After the Bohemians were out of earshot, Dashiell stepped out of the shadows, coming up to Lorcán's side.

"Have you done what I asked, Dashiell?" Lorcán smirked, not even bothering to glance at the elderly man.

"Yes, sir," Dashiell confirmed with a stiff bow. "I assure you, they won't be leaving this place at all."

* * *

Roger nearly dashed out of the hotel's front door, digging the keys out of his pocket as he went. He only slowed down when he reached the minivan that was still parked out front. Climbing into the front seat, he fit the key into the ignition, but when he turned it to start the minivan, absolutely nothing happened. He couldn't even hear the sound of the engine turning over.

"No," Roger groaned, trying again to no avail. "Aw, sh-t. Are you f-cking kidding me?" Why was the minivan not starting? The fuel gauge wasn't pointing at empty, and while it wasn't a brand-new vehicle, it wasn't that old, either, so there shouldn't have been problems with any of the parts. What was going on here?

"Great," Roger grunted, banging a fist against the dashboard. "Add this to the weird and creepy stuff going on here." Roger ran a hand over his face, sighing deeply, remaining in the driver's seat for a moment longer. Finally, after trying one more time to get the minivan started, he got out and reluctantly returned to the hotel, hoping to find a phone to call up a mechanic to come check out the problem. When he closed the front door behind him, a large crow flew by, landing on the roof of the minivan. Seconds later, the same battered black cat that had been roaming the hotel's halls after Penny saw the face in the mirror appeared next to the crow. Both animals sat alongside each other, simply eyeing the hotel, with the cat's tail twitching in agitation, and the crow's feathers ruffling.

* * *

Down in the dungeon, Emily had been resting her eyes, out of lack of anything better to do, but she looked up when the door to the dungeon opened. Ancelin was stepping into the room, carrying a serving platter containing a bowl of soup and a small loaf of bread. At first, Emily was planning to lash out verbally at the hotel's head cook for the part she played in trapping her down here, but instantly changed her mind when she noticed that Ancelin looked extremely sad.

"You must eat," Ancelin advised, placing the platter on the ground.

"Easy for you to say," Emily replied, sending her a withering look. "Your arms aren't chained to a wall." Ancelin didn't respond to Emily's comment, but spooned up some of the soup and held it out to Emily, the way a mother would spoon-feed their baby. Emily, however, refused to eat the offered soup.

"Please, eat something," Ancelin begged, her voice trembling.

"What's the point of eating now?" Emily pointed out. "Lorcán's planning on killing us all anyway, so why's he trying to prolong it?" Ancelin visibly flinched at the mention of Lorcán.

"Lorcán….doesn't know I'm here," Ancelin admitted.

"Oh, so your master _doesn't _pull your strings all the time, after all," Emily fired out bitterly.

"I am truly sorry, Mrs. Cohen," Ancelin apologized, sounding completely sincere. "I tried to get him to spare you and your family. I really did. But he wouldn't hear of it."

"But why?" Emily pushed. "Why does he want to kill us? What did we do?"

"It's…it's not _what _you've done," Ancelin explained vaguely. "It's what he's _afraid _you'll do."

"What?" Emily beseeched. "What's he afraid we'll do?"

"I've said too much already," Ancelin shook her head. "I…I should go before I'm missed."

"Ancelin!" Emily cried after her, stopping the woman before she hurried out. "You said before you tried to get Lorcán to spare our lives. So you really don't want to see us dead, do you?" Ancelin didn't reply, but Emily could tell by her body language that she was trying very hard not to cry. "Please, Ancelin. You've already shown me you can go against Lorcán's orders by bringing me food without his knowledge. That proves that you're braver than you think you are. If you really don't want to see us killed, then be brave again and help us get out of here. The only one who's stopping you is you."

For a tense moment, Ancelin didn't say or do anything, and just stood with her back to Emily, trembling slightly, but then she dashed out of the room, not looking back. Feeling discouraged at the obviously failed attempt at getting Ancelin's help, Emily let her head fall back to rest against the wall, but ended up doing a double take when she saw something on the floor nearby. It was an old bobby pin, which must have fallen out of Ancelin's hair while they had been talking. Emily's face lit up at her discovery. It had been a long time since she'd used a bobby pin, four years in fact. That didn't mean she'd forgotten how it was done with a bobby pit, however.

Not wasting another second, Emily went to work at kicking off her right shoe, followed by toeing her way out of the sock. Removing the sock proved to take a little while without the use of her hands, but the task was eventually completed. Once her right foot was completely bare, Emily reached out with her leg, and after much manipulation, she managed to grip the bobby pin between her toes.

"Okay, now the easy part's done with," Emily muttered to herself, getting herself ready for the next step. After a few preparatory breaths, she attempted to lift her leg upward, trying to pass the bobby pin from its place between her toes to her hand. After a huge strain to do so, however, she had to drop her leg down without reaching her goal.

"Dang it!" Emily grunted from pain and frustration. "At times like this, I wish I was as flexible as Mimi." Once the pain from overstretching herself had subsided, Emily attempted to pass the bobby pin up to her hands again, driven by her thoughts about her family, and her desire to protect them from Lorcán and her Doppelganger. She knew that it was undoubtedly going to take her a few tries, and she'd be in minor pain afterwards, but to ensure that she and her family would get out of this place safely, she was more than willing to endure that pain.


	9. Emily’s Discovery

**AN: **I finally found the time to update. I'm really frustrated about how long it took, but I have two class projects I have to work on. They're not really impossible in difficulty, but it's rather time consuming, and I've only got a limited time to do it in. I'm seriously hoping I get it done in time. Plus, I also need to find a permanant job, a task I haven't had much luck in, and that'll take up even more time once I find one.

Anyway, on with the story. This chapter is where the pieces start coming together, so enjoy. (I even had my mom proofread the diary entry in this chapter, which is written in italics. That's how much I wanted this chapter to be good; my mom isn't a big fan of stories like this. Plus, she's one of the people who missed the whole point of RENT.)

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me!" Mimi gaped. "Are you telling me that there's no phone in this place that we can use to call for car service?"

"That's what that Dashiell guy said," Roger confirmed, visibly upset over the fact that they were seemingly stuck here. "Apparently, the idiot who wired up this hotel forgot to add the wires that would allow calls to other places."

"So, what are we supposed to do now?" Mark asked. "If we can't call a mechanic, how are we going to get the minivan started up again?" It was at this moment that Ancelin happened to enter the room where the Bohemians were gathered.

"Forgive me for intruding, but I couldn't help overhearing," she began. "Did you say that you were having car trouble?"

"Yeah, the minivan we were driving won't even start," Penny confirmed. "And since there are no phones that we can use to call someone to come look at it, we really have no idea what we're gonna do now. There aren't any towns nearby that are in walking distance, are they?" Very briefly, a hint of conflicting emotions crossed Ancelin's face, but they subsided before anyone could really notice them.

"Actually, there _is_ a small town that's not to far from here," she lied. "But I don't recommend heading out now. It's a bit of a journey on foot, and even if you get a ride back with the mechanic, it will be dark before you return. You'd have better luck if you spend one more night here and set off in the morning. In fact, I think it would be the best idea to hold off until morning.

"Now, I hope you'll all excuse me now, but if you are going to stay another night, I need to start preparing your dinner now. Until then, please continue to explore the grounds."

"Oh, that's just great," Roger groaned after Ancelin had left, running a hand over his face. "One more night here? Wasn't all the other weird stuff bad enough? Now we're setting ourselves up for something worse."

"I know, Roger," Mimi agreed. "None of us like this very much either. I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this place, too. But complaining about it isn't going to help."

"Besides, none of us are going to be going off alone anymore, anyway," Mark added. "I don't think that much can happen if we're _all_ together, can it?"

"And this way," the Emily Doppelganger smiled, "I can show you the secret passageway Penny was so eager to see."

"Oh, can we?" Penny pleaded, eyes lighting up instantly.

"I guess we don't have much of a choice anymore," Roger sighed heavily. "All right, Penny. I guess you win."

"All right!" Penny cheered.

"Just follow me, then," the Emily Doppelganger offered, hiding her devious smile as she led the Bohemians out of the room and down the hall, off into the direction of the dungeons.

Shortly after they'd all disappeared around a corner, the real Emily slowly stepped out of the place where she had been hiding, waiting until it was safe for her to come out. Letting her family see her now was not the best idea at the moment. Making everyone think that there were two Emilys running around was a good way to cause unnecessary confusion, at best. To be honest with herself, she wasn't entirely sure how she would react to seeing two Rogers in front of her. All things considered, her best option at the moment was to wait for a while before getting her family away from that doppelganger, preferably after she'd gotten a chance to figure things out a little more. After all, if they were going to get out of this alive, they had to know what they were up against.

Slowly, Emily started making her way down the corridor, leaning on an old pole that was serving as an improvised cane, but she'd only taken a few steps when it hit her. She really had no idea where to begin looking to shed some light on the situation, and this place was so large, there was a very good chance that she'd get lost before finding anything, or would be caught by Lorcán again. Before she could come up with some sort of plan, Emily felt something rub up against her leg. Glancing down, she saw it was a battered black tomcat, staring up at her with large amber eyes.

"Hello there," Emily spoke softly, kneeling down to pet the cat's head. The black cat immediately rubbed his head against Emily's open palm, purring very loudly. "You're a friendly cat, aren't you?" The black cat meowed in response before trotting down the hall, but when he was a few feet away, he stopped and looked back at Emily, meowing again.

"What is it?" Emily eyed the cat questionably. "You want me to follow you or something?" Once again, the black cat meowed, almost as if he was saying 'yes'. "Well, I always thought that _dogs _were the ones who'd try to get people to follow them, but after what I've seen in this place, I think I can go on a little faith here." With her mind made up, Emily allowed the cat to lead her through the hotel. The cat eventually stopped at the end of the hallway, in front of a dome top bookshelf. Emily took a moment to glance at the names of the books, recognizing some of the works written by Mark Twain and Edgar Allen Poe, but saw nothing that looked like it could be useful to her in this situation.

Her attention was then drawn by the sound of the cat meowing again. This time, the cat was pawing at the back of the bookcase, making it look like he was trying to push it aside. Thinking the cat had seen a mouse, Emily moved around to try and budge the bookcase over a bit, but was surprised when the bookcase slid aside easily, revealing a hidden room.

"Oh," Emily gaped, looking into the hidden room, which was lit by flickering gas lamps. "You're a smart cat, aren't you?" The cat purred in response, and strolled into the revealed room with Emily following him. Once inside, Emily started looking around. This room was also filled with books, but these books covered subjects such as the runic alphabet and alchemy, along with entire volumes dedicated to magic and spells. Taking one of the books down from the shelf, Emily started to flip through it, seeing that the spells were clearly classified as black magic. It was enough to leave her feeling very uneasy. What exactly did these people do? Not even Nana had books like these.

Once again, the cat caught Emily's attention with another meow. He was now sitting atop an old writer's desk, where an old diary had been left, next to an inkwell and a quill pen.

"What'd you find, kitty?" Emily asked, picking up the diary and opening it up to read. The only entry written in the diary was partially faded by age, and was dated to a time back in the 19th century, but it was still possible to make out the words, which had been written in a smooth, even script.

_Years ago, this estate was owned by_ _Desmond Kerrich, a kind and caring master. Under his ownership, the servants sometimes felt that they, too, lived a privileged existence, for Master Kerrich never let his superior status stop him from treating the servants fairly. Even the master's wife, Edlyn, often set her duties as the estate's mistress aside to help tend to the gardens on the grounds. _

_In those days, I was only an apprentice to the estate's head cook, but I was also treated most kindly, regardless of my position, which should be evident by the fact that I can write these words now. I realize most women of my station may not be educated in literacy, but when Master Kerrich took me in after my mother and father died during the typhus epidemic, he had instructed me in the necessary skills. I suppose, therefore, it would be a poor way to thank him for it if I didn't leave behind some record of what occurred within these cursed walls._

_I never spoke of it aloud, knowing it was unwise to overstep the boundaries of my position, but Master Kerrich's young son, Lorcán, always made me feel uneasy, even when he was a small boy. He was a private, aloof child, and no one had ever seen him laugh, or even smile. Whenever family friends of Master Kerrich came to the estate and brought their own children, none of them went anywhere near Lorcán, and when you tried to encourage the young master to play with the visiting children, he'd respond with the most venomous glare you could imagine. Even the estate's dogs kept their distance from Lorcán, and whenever they saw him enter a room, they'd cower in a corner and growl if he came anywhere near them._

_His mannerisms got progressively worse as Lorcán grew into a young man. He began to grow more distant, spending more and more time secluded in his room, or off in the nearest town. The only time I ever saw him was when Master Kerrich held dinner parties, and Lorcán was seated next to his father. By the time Lorcán was able to be included in the dinner parties, I had become an active member of the kitchen staff, and was in charge of serving the guests. It was at one of these dinner parties that I overheard Lorcán saying something that disturbed me more than I could ever describe. I was serving the first course, when I caught a small tidbit of conversation between Lorcán and one of the elderly guests. They were discussing the guest's dogs, which she kept for breeding, when Lorcán announced that he needed a dog. In passing, I realize that this seems like a harmless statement made by a young man who missed the estate's dogs, who all disappeared under mysterious circumstances, but there was something in the way he said 'needed' that chilled me to the bone. I regret to say I held my tongue, regardless of how I felt, but no one else seemed to think anything of it, and I was still only a servant._

_A month later, Master Kerrich showed he must have overheard his son's wish for a dog, and had a purebred German Shepherd brought to the estate for him. It was with that caring act that everyone met with their downfall._

_It began when the master's wife, Edlyn, suddenly grew ill. No doctor could find a reason for the sudden decline in her health. Master Kerrich dearly cherished his wife, and kept a constant vigil at her side, until she succumbed to the mysterious illness late one night. Edlyn had been dearly loved by all, so her death was viewed as a tragedy by everyone who worked and lived on the estate. Lorcán, however, showed no sorrow for his mother's death, only growing even more detached and colder._

_It was a week after Edlyn's death that I first noticed the change around the grounds. In the past, a day didn't pass in the spring when you couldn't hear the birds singing throughout the grounds, but when I was kneading dough that morning, it struck me how quiet it was outside. When I asked the other servants, everyone also revealed that they hadn't seen any sign of animals on the estate since Edlyn first became ill. But it wouldn't be until that night that I would began to realize that it was far worse than missing birds._

_That night, I awoke to the most terrible sounds, and allowed curiosity to overcome my knowledge of the considerable trouble I would be in if found wandering the halls so late. I followed the unearthly sounds to Lorcán's room. The sight that awaited me within will haunt me for eternity. The elaborate paintings that usually adorned Lorcán's walls had been taken down, revealing the symbols that had been drawn behind the golden frames. The symbols looked to be stars within a circle, and at the time, I couldn't understand what they meant, but I could tell that they'd been drawn in blood. That horrific realization could not compare to what was lying in the middle of the floor. The Persian rug that covered the floor in Lorcán's room had also been pushed aside, and burned into the floor was the same symbol that had been drawn on the walls, only much larger. Lying in the center of the symbol was the dog Master Kerrich had given his son. The poor creature had been killed, and it's stomach torn open. Lorcán himself was standing over the slain animal, speaking in a tongue I didn't recognize. As one could understand, I made haste back to the servant's quarters, out of fear of what else I might see._

_In the morning, the discovery that was made overshadowed the horror I had witnessed during the night. Master Kerrich was found in his bed with his throat ripped out. It appeared as though some kind of animal had mauled him during the night, though no one could determine what manner of beast had done this. The even greater tragedy occurred when the other servants attempted to head to town to fetch the undertaker. Lorcán forbade anyone to do anything to provide Master Kerrich with the proper burial he deserved. Instead, he announced that with Master Kerrich dead, he was the new master of the estate, and that his first order was to dispose of his father's body in the nearby woods, without any form of ceremony. The valet, whom I'd only known as Gerald, had dearly loved Master Kerrich, and voiced his immense disapproval with these orders, announcing that he would never disrespect Master Kerrich in such a way._

_What happened next shocked everyone who witnessed it. With a single spoken command by Lorcán, a terrible beast appeared out of nowhere, and with a single bound, it pinned Gerald to the ground, killing him before he could even scream.  
It was then that I knew for sure what I had witnessed that night before. Lorcán had become deeply involved in dark magic, and undoubtedly had played a part in the deaths of Master Kerrich and Edlyn._

_After that day, Lorcán took control over the entire estate. Using his dark magic, he placed a curse over everything. The curse prevented anyone from ever leaving the estate. Not even death could release us, trapping us all to the estate, where we must serve Lorcán for all eternity._

_I do not know how long it has been since Lorcán's evil curse was cast, for the years soon blended together. For the longest time, my soul was filled with despair, until I chanced across a small glimmer of hope. And that hope is why I must write these words while I can. Even now, I know Lorcán will soon discover what I am doing, and take this diary from me, which doesn't give me much time._

_I know it was likely a terrible sin to read Lorcán's books on dark magic, but it was in doing so that I found the curse could be lifted if the Five Elemental Agents come to the estate. Only the Five Elemental Agents can perform the ritual that will end Lorcán's curse and set us all free. It would seem that Lorcán also knows of this ritual, for he has ordered us all to kill any outsiders who chance across these cursed grounds, to ensure that we will remain trapped in this state between life and death forever. But I still cling to the hope, however frail it may be, that the Five Elemental Agents will still one day arrive, and help set us all free from this cursed estate and the oppression of Lorcán._

When the written account came to a close, Emily closed the diary with a sigh. This certainly had explained quite a bit about why Lorcán wanted to kill her and the others. He clearly thought that they were the Five Elemental Agents. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Down in the dungeon, Lorcán had said that he was keeping them here because there were five of them in all, excluding Rodolfo and Zack, and he had then called her the Agent of Water. Even Ancelin had admitted that Lorcán was planning to kill them because of what they could do. All-in-all, it was obvious that they needed to get out of this place as soon as possible.

Tucking the diary under her arm, Emily slowly made her way out of the secret room, pausing to make sure no one was around before stepping back into the hall.

"Come on, kitty," she called back in a loud whisper, smiling at the black tomcat that had helped her. "We gotta find the others. They need to know what's going on here, too." Meowing in response, the black tomcat jumped off the writing desk and proceeded to follow Emily in her task of rejoining her family.


	10. Decoy Unmasked

**AN: **Like always, I'm sorry this took so long. School projects take up a lot of time. Really hope that this chapter was worth the wait. (And, yes, I just_ had_ to throw in a Young Frankenstein reference. That movie is a classic, hands down.) My goal is to finish this story by Halloween, but I'm not getting my hopes up. Even though I managed to pull it off for The Other Virus.

* * *

The Emily Doppelganger led the Bohemian family down the hall towards the entrance to the secret passageway that would lead them down to the dungeons. It was there that Lorcán was lying in wait to capture the unsuspecting visitors. Once he had all five of the Elemental Agents together in his grasp, he'd be able to ensure that they'd never be able to break the curse. Smiling to herself, the Emily Doppelganger stopped in front of one particular hall table, which was adorned with an urn holding a large arrangement of flowers and a golden candlestick.

"I discovered this by accident when my arm bumped it," she announced, tipping the candlestick forward. Instantly, a hidden panel in the wall slid aside, revealing the hidden passageway.

"Hey, just like Young Frankenstein," Roger noted, showing more interest than he'd been before.

"Let's check it out!" Penny suggested eagerly as she and Mimi peered into the passageway. Before the two could set foot into it, the sound of footsteps echoed through the hidden corridor, indicating that something was coming towards them. With a gasp, Penny stepped back, with Mark instinctively placing a protective hand on his daughter's shoulder, while Roger pulled Mimi away from the passageway entrance. Seconds later, the owner of the footsteps came into view and stepped out into the hall. The moment they saw who caused the footsteps, everyone let out an embarrassed laugh. It was only a large black dog, who was wagging his tail in a friendly manner.

"Hey there," Mimi grinned, bending down to scratch the dog behind the ears. "Where'd you come from?" The dog let out a whine in response, wagging his tail even more. Rodolfo, who was being supported by Mimi's left arm, also reached out to pat the dog's muzzle.

"I wonder if he was trapped down there, too," Mark wondered, glancing back at the hidden passageway.

"Well if he was," the Emily Doppelganger paused to pat the dog on the head, "then he must be pretty happy to be out. Anyway, Ancelin might be calling us down to dinner soon, so it's probably best to check out the passageway now, so we won't be late for supper."

"Yeah, sounds good," Penny agreed eagerly, starting to step into the passageway. However, before she could start heading down it, the dog suddenly turned and grabbed the hem of Penny's shirt in his mouth, whining as he did so.

"Hey," Mimi laughed, placing Rodolfo down on the floor to help Penny pull her shirt out of the dog's jaws before stroking his back. "What's the matter, boy? We're not leaving you alone. You can come with us, too." However, when Penny and Mimi started to step foot into the passageway again, the dog stepped in front of them, blocking their way. This time, the dog began growling, hackles raised.

"What's gotten into him?" Roger blinked, puzzled by the dog's sudden change in behavior. "It's almost like that crazy crow again."

"You don't think he knows something we don't, do you?" Mark wondered. "In a lot of those old movies, you usually see dogs acting like this if there's some kind of danger."

"Oh, that's silly," the Emily Doppelganger forced out a laugh, holding back her irritation at the obstacle. This stupid dog was preventing her from bringing these people to Lorcán, and she didn't like that. Stepping forward, the Emily Doppelganger tried to nudge the dog aside. "Come on, puppy. We can play with you later. Right now, we want to see the passageway." Instead of moving aside, the dog growled even louder, and when the Doppelganger started pushing him out of the way, the dog let out a menacing bark and bit down hard on her hand. Crying out in surprised pain, the Emily Doppelganger stumbled backwards until Mark stepped forward to steady her. In doing so, however, Mark's hand happened to brush up against the doppelganger's back, where the blouse she was wearing had ridden up slightly. As a result, he was able to feel the skin on her back, and almost immediately, a puzzled frown appeared on his face.

"Oh, thanks, Mark," the Emily Doppelganger smiled back at him, still rubbing her bitten hand. However, Mark didn't reply right away and simply stared at her sternly.

"Emily, are you okay?" Mimi asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," the Emily Doppelganger replied.

"Hey, you stupid dog," Roger rounded on the animal, grabbing at the scruff of the dog's neck. "What did you do that for?"

"Roger," Mark suddenly spoke up. "Leave the dog alone."

"What?" Mimi's eyes widened in her confusion. "Mark, this dog just bit Emily."

"No, he didn't" Mark shook his head, glowering at the Emily Doppelganger. "Because this isn't Emily."

"W...what are you talking about?" the Emily Doppelganger cried, quickly masking her panicked worry. How did he figure her out?

"Of course it's Mom," Penny argued. "Who else would she be?"

"No," Mark insisted. "I don't know who this person is, but she's _not_ Emily. I know she's not."

"Mark, sweetie," the Emily Doppelganger spoke, trying to sound more confident than she felt. "It's me, really. I _am_ Emily."

"No! You're not!" Mark glared, stepping closer. "Who are you? And where's the _real_ Emily? What have you done to her?" For a brief moment, silence fell among the group, with Roger, Mimi and Penny all looking at Mark as if he was crazy, while Mark continued to glare at the Emily Doppelganger, but then the doppelganger stepped into action. An angry scowl appearing on her face, she shoved Mark to the ground and started racing away down the hall.

"HEY!" Roger shouted after her, immediately giving chase, pursuing the doppelganger around the corner and out of sight.

"I don't get it!" Mimi gaped, helping Mark get to his feet. "If that wasn't Emily, than who was she?"

"I don't know," Mark shook his head, quickly checking on Zack, who had been sleeping in his baby carrier. "But I think this proves that we probably can't trust Lorcán. He must have made the switch himself, when we were all in the hedge maze." Seconds later, Roger returned, looking annoyed and frustrated.

"I lost her," he announced. "This place is probably filled with secret passageways. Chances are that she managed to hide herself in one of them before I could catch her."

"Then what do we do now?" Penny asked, visibly worried. "If we can't trust Lorcán, we probably can't trust Ancelin or Dashiell, either. And Mom's still missing. We have to find her."

"We will," Mark vowed, his face filled with determination. "But once we _do_ find her, we're out of here, even if we have to walk."

"That's the best idea I've heard since we came here, Mark," Roger agreed. "Right, you and Mimi go and find Emily. Chances are, if I know her as well as I think I do, she's probably trying to meet up with us, too. Penny, I need your help to get our stuff together. We'll all meet outside by the minivan. Mark, Mimi, if you two aren't outside with Emily and the boys in one hour, than I'm coming back to get you all out. And be careful."

"Yeah," Mark replied. "You too, Rog." Without another word, the four Bohemians spit into their two groups, with Mimi pausing to scoop Rodolfo back up. The black dog, who had been sitting quietly throughout the whole exchange, trotted along after Mark and Mimi.

"Just one question, Mark," Mimi turned to her friend as they began their search. "How _did_ you know that wasn't the real Emily, anyway? I mean, she did everything right, including how she spoke and acted. She fooled everyone. What exactly made you realize that she was a fake?" For a long moment, Mark didn't show any sign of hearing Mimi's question, until the dancer was fed up with being ignored and forced him to face her by pulling on his shoulder. It was only then that she was able to notice the embarrassed blush on Mark's face. "Mark?"

"That copy, or decoy, or whatever it was," Mark explained hesitantly. "When my hand brushed up against her back, I…I didn't feel anything."

"So?" Mimi furrowed her brow, failing to see the significance of this.

"Emily," Mark swallowed, looking like he was feeling very awkward at the moment. "The _real _Emily, I mean. She has….a mole. A tiny mole, along her spine. It was something I noticed once. During some….postcoital….exploration." The moment he finished explaining, Mark quickly looked away again, but not before Mimi saw his face grow even redder. While Mimi was unable to hold back a small giggle at seeing her friend's tangible embarrassment at discussing his private moments with Emily like this, she quickly grew serious again as they continued the search. After all, while she wasn't going to say so out loud, out of fear of upsetting Mark even more, there was a chance that, wherever Emily was, she was seriously hurt, or worse.


	11. Scramble to Escape

**AN: **Yay, I finished this chapter sooner than I thought I would. Consider it my way of partially making it up to the 'little' cliffhanger I threw in. (Grins evilly)

* * *

In one of the building's hidden rooms, Ancelin, keeping her eyes cast downward, slowly poured tea into a hand-pained china cup for Lorcán while Dashiell stood nearby.

"Oh, come now, Ancelin," Lorcán chucked cruelly, picking up the teacup. "What's with that frown? I told you before, you should be used to getting rid of anyone who comes to this estate. You don't see Dashiell falling to pieces, do you?" Ancelin didn't reply, but glanced over at Dashiell out of the corner of her eye. However, Dashiell didn't meet her eyes, and busied himself with straightening the contents of a nearby shelf.

"There now, you see?" Lorcán smirked. "I suggest you pull yourself together, woman. Unless you want me to help you with that." As Lorcán laughed cruelly, Ancelin turned away quickly, so he wouldn't see the expression of hatred that formed on her face.

At that moment, the door swung open, and the Emily Doppelganger raced in.

"Master Lorcán, please forgive me," she begged, dropping to her knees before him. "I failed. The Elemental Agents somehow discovered the switch."

"How did they accomplish that?" Lorcán demanded to know.

"I assure you, Master Lorcán, I do not know!" the Emily Doppelganger cried. "I did everything right, sir, I swear! I spoke like her, acted like her, I even faked that limp of hers. I do not know how they figured me out, but something tipped the Agent of Earth off." For the longest time, Lorcán stared down at the Emily Doppelganger without emotion, but then he turned to his servants.

"It would seem," he announced, "that I will have to deal with this myself now. If those fools know that the Agent of Water is still missing, they'll probably be trying to find her and leave straight after. Dashiell, Ancelin, you two go and find the Elemental Agents and detain them. As for me, I will make sure that they won't be able to escape." Without another word, Lorcán turned on his heal and headed for the door.

"Oh, Master Lorcán," the Emily Doppelganger gasped in relief, seeing that he didn't seem to be angry with her. "Thank you for your mercy and forgiveness." This was the wrong thing to say, however, which became evident when Lorcán stopped in his tracks, turning back to glare at the doppelganger in cruel impassiveness.

"Ah, of course," Lorcán sneered, his face void of mercy. "I completely forgot you were even here. Thank you for reminding me of your last mistake." Paying no attention to the shocked look of sudden fear that appeared on the Emily Doppelganger's face, Lorcán produced a handful of sharp knives out of thin air, which began to swirl around the doppelganger like a tornado.

"No!" the Emily Doppelganger cried, beseeching her master. "Master Lorcán, please! Spare me! Don't, please!" Lorcán replied only with a cruel, evil grin, and with a snap of his fingers, the swirling knives closed in on her, the sharp blades slicing into her skin again and again. Unable to watch as Lorcán punished his doppelganger for her failure, Ancelin turned and ran out of the room, close to tears. Dashiell, on the other hand, only turned away from the brutal sight, but he could not block out the terrible sounds of the doppelganger's agonized screams of pain that echoed throughout the room as the swirling knives continued their assault, which would continue until there was nothing left of the hapless doppelganger.

* * *

Mimi followed Mark throughout the mansion, with Rodolfo secured in her arms and the black dog walking alongside her. It was taking everything she had to not talk to Mark, but they had both heard the sounds of someone screaming, and it had sounded horribly like Emily. There was no way of knowing, of course, if the screams were coming from the impostor or the real Emily, but one look at Mark's expression was enough to let anyone know that he would not accept the possibility that it had been their Emily who had cried out like that, so it was undoubtedly foolish to even ask. His face was set, showing his determination to find Emily, and Mimi couldn't help but thinking that he looked like he was in an unbreakable trance.

Seconds later, however, Zack began to squirm around in his baby carrier, starting to fuss. It was obvious that he was getting hungry and wanted to be fed. The sound of his infant son's cries was enough to snap Mark out of his trance-like state, and he gently rubbed Zack's back in comfort.

"Shhh," Mark spoke tenderly to the small boy. "It's all right, Zack. We'll find Mommy soon. I promise." Smiling briefly at his son, Mark's mood quickly shifted to worry, and he glanced ahead of them. "Emily, where are you?"

In the brief silence that followed, Mimi had just gathered up the courage to try and provide her friend with assurance, but before she could begin, the dog gave a sudden bark, and his tail started wagging. When Mark and Mimi glanced down at the dog, he trotted off ahead of them, his tail still wagging.

"Do you think he smells someone?" Mimi wondered out loud.

"No idea, but I'm not letting that dog out of my sight," Mark announced, following after the dog as it headed to the end of the hall. Not wanting to be left behind, Mimi went with them both.

As the dog reached the corner, a black tomcat came into view. Instead of being scared away by the dog the way Mark and Mimi expected him to be, the cat let out a meow, and pranced right up to the dog, purring loudly.

"I guess they must be friends," Mimi noted as she and Mark came up to the two animals, who were greeting each another in an affable manner. However, as they joined the cat and the dog, they both froze, seeing who had been apparently following the cat.

"Mark, Mimi!" Emily cried happily as she spotted her friends, clutching her improvised cane. With a giant smile, she started to step forward, but stopped when she noticed that neither of them seemed as happy to see her, and were staring at her in hesitation. It only took Emily a moment to realize what the problem was. "Guys, it's really me," she assured. Neither Mark nor Mimi said a word for a while, but Mark finally broke the tense silence, frowning.

"That's what that fake Emily said," he pointed out, his voice filled with skepticism and doubt. "You…you still might be…" Mark's words died in his throat when he saw the look Emily was giving him. It was a look of tenderness and kindness, which made it very hard for him to keep his guard up.

"It's me, Mark. Honestly," Emily spoke softly. "If you're still unsure, and I wouldn't blame you if you were; if you still don't know what to believe, then just ask yourself one question. If I wasn't really me, than how would I know what I'm about to tell you?

"You once confided something only to me. Something you didn't even tell Roger. You didn't even tell Maureen during your time together. So, the only way I would know about it is if I was the real Emily." As she spoke, Emily slowly stepped towards Mark, who remained rooted to the spot until she stopped in front of him, looking him straight in the eyes. With a hand resting lightly against his chest, she leaned forward and whispered something into his ear. As she stepped back, Mark's expression immediately went through a wide range of emotions, shifting from wariness to amazement to tender relief.

"Emily," he whispered, pulling her closer into a tight embrace, which she returned whole-heartedly. A warm smile formed on Mimi's face as she watched the reunion in respectful silence, waiting patiently for them to step apart, not wanting to remind them of the danger they were in quite yet.

"Are you okay?" Mark asked in concern, pulling back to check for any noticeable injuries Emily might have received.

"We'll all be finer once we get out of here," Emily replied, stepping back slightly to rest a loving hand on Zack's head. Handing the diary over to Mark to look at, she continued her explanation. "While I was separated from you guys, I found this diary, thanks to my cat friend here. It explains everything that's been going on. Lorcán placed a curse over this place during the 19th century, and everyone who lived here back then has been trapped in the mansion ever since, unable to pass on. That diary was written by one of the servants who was cursed. It explains how the diary's owner discovered that Lorcán's curse can be broken if these people called the Elemental Agents perform some sort of ritual. That's why Lorcán's been trying to separate us. For some reason, he thinks that we're the Elemental Agents, and since he doesn't want his curse to be broken, he's intending to…" Mark and Mimi did not need Emily to finish to realize what she was going to say.

"We definitely have to leave now," Mimi announced.

"Yeah, good thing Roger and Penny are already off getting our stuff together." Mark agreed, tucking the diary under his arm before taking hold of Emily's free hand. "Let's go. We're meeting them outside, and getting out of here immediately."

"Hang on," Emily stopped, glancing around. "Where'd that cat and dog go?" Sure enough, both animals had wandered off somewhere while Mark, Mimi and Emily had been talking, and were now nowhere to be seen.

"I don't know, Emily, but we can't waste time looking for them," Mark spoke, his voice showing that he didn't want to leave the cat and dog behind, either. "If we stay here much longer, Lorcán might end up making sure we never can get out of here. We have to leave now. Roger and Penny are probably waiting for us by the minivan already."

"You're right," Emily relented. Tightening her hold on Mark's hand, she accompanied her friends down the hall, thankful that they all would soon be far away from this terrible place.

* * *

In the rooms they had been given, Roger was throwing everything that had been unpacked back into the duffel bags, not even bothering to do so neatly, while Penny searched the room for anything that might be left behind.

"So what if we still can't get the minivan started?" Penny asked, depositing her stuffed rabbit, Mr. Twiggers, into her duffel bag.

"Then we walk," Roger replied without looking up from his task. "It's better than staying here any longer. We shouldn't even have came here to begin with." Penny nodded as she zipped up her bag, but when she looked up again, her face contorted with horror.

"Uncle Roger!" she cried, pointing at the mirror, where the face she had seen last night had suddenly appeared again. The sight of the face, which appeared to be laughing evilly, caused Roger's eyes to widen in sudden fear.

Seconds later, the entire room began to shake violently, as if an earthquake was tearing through the room. Pictures started falling from the wall with a crash, and large chunks from the ceiling started to fall around them. One of the porcelain lamps on the nearby table even toppled to the ground, shattering to pieces.

"Come on!" Roger exclaimed, grabbing as many bags as he could before shepherding Penny out the door. The two ran down the hall as quickly as they could, while all around them, doorknobs rattled, floorboards bucked, and lights flickered threateningly. It was if the entire mansion had came alive and was trying to keep them from leaving.

After what seemed like forever, the staircase finally came into view, and the pair nearly laughed in relief at the welcome sight.

"Keep going, Penny, we're almost there!" Roger urged, taking the stairs two at a time, paying no attention to the way the duffel bags he was carrying kept bumping into his legs, causing him to stumble occasionally.

"Uncle Roger, slow down!" Penny called halfway down, grapping the banister as she lost her footing on the rocking staircase. "I can't keep up with you." Pausing to toss the duffel bags the rest of the way down the stairs, Roger turned back to pick Penny up, planning to carry her to the entryway. Just as he reached for her, however, the staircase gave an almighty pitch, and the stairs beneath their feet completely broke off from rest of the staircase in a deafening explosion, sending Roger and Penny flying down to the base of the stairs, among a wave of splinters and broken wood.

Upon landing on the hard tile floor in an ungraceful belly flop, Roger let out a low groan, the impact nearly knocking all the wind out of him. Shielding his head from the raining rubble from the damaged stairs, he waited until the dust settled down before moving. Gingerly, he pushed himself to his knees, rubbing at his chest. He'd definitely have a sizeable bruise there in the morning.

After shaking the splintered wood out of his unruly dirty blonde hair, he glanced up at the front door, which was only a few feet away.

"Come on, Penny," Roger smiled, turning his head to where his 'niece' had landed next to him. "Just a couple more steps, and we're…." Roger's voice died instantly as his eyes registered what he was seeing. Penny was lying face down on the ground, unmoving, with sightless eyes turned on him. Protruding from her bloodstained back was one of the broken wood fragments from the staircase, which was clearly imbedded deep into her skin.

* * *

**AN: **Even though the next chapter's finished, I'm going to be very evil and leave you here for a while. All I will say is that the next installment is one of the most emotional scenes in this story. Until then, enjoy being tormented with this nasty cliffhanger.


	12. Time Dies

**AN: **Prepare for one of the two most emotional chapters in this story. (To quote Superskarmory from YouTube: CRY, I SAY! CRY!!)

Also, just to inform everyone, I now have a new poll posted in my profile. Please check it out.

* * *

"No!" The entire room was spinning before his very eyes, and all sound had ceased to exist, but Roger could still hear his horrified croak of vehement denial over the ringing in his ears. "No! Penny!" Trembling from shock and anguish, he carefully gathered up the still child in his arms, cradling her against him, trying not to notice the blood that had already stopped flowing from her injury, or the sickening sound of the broken wood fragment sliding out of her body as he slowly pulled it out. He blocked his mind to how the little girl was hanging as limply as a rag doll in his hold, or the hot tears that were stinging his eyes.

Refusing to accept what he already knew, he desperately started moving his calloused fingers around her neck, praying for that precious sign of life, only to find nothing.

"Oh, sh-t! Penny, come on!" Roger begged, pulling his 'niece' even closer. "Don't…you can't…you're not….Penny, please!"

Clamping his eyes shut, Roger buried his face into Penny's strawberry blonde hair. In doing so, he was able to feel the warmth that hadn't yet faded from her tiny body. He immediately focused on that warmth, which made it easier for him to pretend that she was just sleeping. He _needed_ to believe she was just sleeping. Clinging to that belief, however deluded it might be, was his only hope of keeping the pain at bay.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. He was the one who was supposed to die first. He was the one who deserved to be lying there. Heaven only knew that he should have died a long time ago, from one of the bar brawls he'd gotten into while he was drunk or high, or from overdosing on heroin, or from the HIV. He'd had plenty of opportunities to die in the past, and even now, when he had everything to live for, there was no denying that death was always hovering near him, and it was only a matter of time before it finally claimed him.

Penny, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. She was the one with her whole life ahead of her. She was only a child, a twelve-year-old child. She was supposed to grow up, attend school dances with her friends, experience her first date, and her first kiss. She was supposed to go to college and actually finish, the way he and Mark never did. She was supposed to have the chance fall in love, get married, and start a family of her own. She was supposed to be able to see the birth of her grandchildren and spoil them rotten with ice cream sundaes and presents every day. She was supposed to grow old, and die peacefully in her sleep. She wasn't supposed to die here. Not like this.

His shoulders shaking from suppressed sobs, Roger lifted his head to look down at Penny. The color was already fading from her cheeks, and a tiny stream of blood was slipping down from the corner of her mouth, standing out in sharp contrast to her lips, which had begun to take up a bluish tint. With a broken breath, Roger wiped away the offending rivulet with his thumb. It was with that simple action that he was able to discover that Penny's body had grown cold, confirming the terrible fact that she was truly gone. Like a dam breaking, the walls came crashing down, and an anguished wail, akin to a wounded animal, slipped from his throat. No longer holding back, Roger allowed himself to sob over Penny's still form, carefully rocking her body the way one would cradle a baby.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. There were probably only a few people in the world who didn't deserve death, and Penny was one of those few. He hadn't felt a pain quite like this in his entire life. The closest he'd ever came to it was on that terrible Christmas Eve night, when he'd almost lost Mimi, but while he naturally didn't love Penny the same way he loved Mimi, the little girl was still more than just his best friend's child. Penny might have been Mark and Emily's daughter, but he'd loved the strawberry-blonde haired girl just as much as he loved Rodolfo.

The instant Roger thought of Mark and Emily, the pain within his heart intensified. He dreaded the moment when he'd have to tell them about this, and knew that he'd never be able to help ease their grief. The musician was in even more pain when he thought about how much this would hurt Mark, his best friend and brother. As much as he enjoyed teasing Mark sometimes, he also owed him everything. Mark had been the one who stayed by his side through his heroin addiction, which had really messed him up, if his friends' stories were any indication. He even stuck around after April's death, and through that whole painful year of withdrawal, and when he'd returned to New York after running away to Santa Fe for a whole month, Mark welcomed him back without hesitation, and without any animosity. He owed Mark everything, even though the filmmaker had never asked for anything in return, which was why Roger was grateful when Emily came along. After all those years that Mark put up with his sh-t, and even Maureen's 'friendliness', he deserved to be happy. Thanks to Emily, Penny, and now little Zack, he was finally getting the chance to have that happiness, but now Penny was gone, and it was just not fair.

How many more times was life going to play such cruel jokes like this, anyway? Wasn't April, Angel, Collins, Paul, and eventually his and Mimi's deaths bad enough? Why did Penny have to die too? How many _more_ lives did their extended family have to loose before death finally left them all alone?

As if the f-cking universe wanted to torment him even more, he suddenly heard someone coming closer, and he could tell by their voices that it was Mark and Mimi, and from the sound of it, they'd managed to find the real Emily, too. Any moment now, they'd be coming into view, only to be greeted by the sight of Penny's body.

Numbly, Roger wiped away the tearstains that stood out on his rough cheeks, but he could do nothing to get rid of the redness in his eyes, or stop the aching tightness in his throat. With great gentleness, he picked up little Penny up in his arms and slowly got to his feet. There was no covering this up, and it would be even more painful for everyone if he prolonged the inevitable. Taking a shaky breath that threatened to turn into another sob, he started walking toward his friends' voices, wishing that he could detach himself from his emotions as easily as he'd done in the past.


	13. Captured

Ancelin made her way through the mansion's corridor, deeply regretting the task she had to do. She knew, however, that she had no other choice in the matter. Lorcán's orders were absolute, and she had to follow them for eternity. His curse had made sure of that, and after all, she was only a servant. There was no possible way that she could ever go against the will of her master, especially not one who was so corrupted by dark magic.

Even so, she could not seem to get the words that were spoken to her by Emily out of her mind, that she was braver than she believed herself to be. If only that were true. If she really were brave, she would have refused to follow Lorcán's orders from the very start. The heavens only knew that she couldn't bear killing all those poor lost people who came across the estate in the past, and now they had to do the same thing to this family. What made it even harder to bear this time were those two little boys. They were both so young, neither of them could possibly survive very long without their parents. This meant that not only did she have to help Lorcán murder the people he believed were the five Elemental Agents, but she also had to sentence those small boys to a slow death. The very idea that she was brave was worse than a cruel joke.

Ancelin's thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt when she started to step around the corner and caught sight of the Bohemian family. She froze out of fear over how'd they'd react to seeing her, but soon realized that they all had their backs to her, and hadn't even noticed her presence. Seconds later, she had to stifle a gasp upon seeing what was capturing their attention. Mimi was clinging to the red-eyed Roger, her quiet sobs muffled as she buried her face into his shirt, while the baby Zack was safely cradled in his 'uncle's' free arm. Rodolfo hung onto his mother's leg, gazing up at her with a confused expression that showed he didn't understand why everyone was so distressed. Meanwhile, Mark and Emily were kneeling on the floor, both visibly heartbroken, with Mark softly rubbing Emily's back in a vain attempt to offer comfort, and Emily draped over Penny's bloodstained body.

"Mark, Emily, I…" Roger finally found the strength to speak, his voice so hoarse, the words could hardly be understood. "I'm so sorry. If I'd….I was supposed to protect her…..and I…."

"No, Roger," Mark shook his head, not even turning to face him. "This…this wasn't your fault. It wasn't." In spite of his best friends' words, Roger didn't look convinced at all, and his guilt remained etched on his face.

"Oh, now," an evil voice suddenly spoke up. "Are those tears _really_ necessary? After all, you won't be too far behind." Paying no attention to the family's shock at hearing his voice, Lorcán emerged from the shadows, smiling cruelly at the four friends. It was Mark who reacted first, his rage overpowering all other emotion.

"You f-cking, murdering, b-stard!" Mark lunged for the evil monster who took his daughter from him, but before he could even touch him, Lorcán conjured up what looked like a ball of fire in his hand. Before anyone could do anything, the fireball flew out of Lorcán's hand and connected with Mark's chest. The impact sent him flying back into the wall, where he was knocked unconscious.

"Leave him alone!" Roger shouted, rounding on Lorcán.

"I suggest you keep your temper in check, Mr. Davis," Lorcán ordered icily. "Your friend initiated the hostility. I was simply acting in self defense."

"And what about Penny?" Mimi snapped, her voice filled with animosity. "Were you acting in self defense with _her_, too? She was only a girl."

"You should thank me for that," Lorcán commented off-handedly. "At least with her, it was quick. I'm not going to even pretend the same will be said for the rest of you."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Emily's voice was barely audible, but Roger and Mimi could tell from her expression that she was seconds away from following Mark's earlier example.

"All in good time," Lorcán replied, starting to shift into his transparent ghost form. "After all, if I'm going to make sure my curse remains broken, I have to get rid of you four in a _special_ way." Remembering what had happened earlier with Ancelin, Emily realized what Lorcán was about to do almost instantly, but before she could warn her friends, the dark shadow materialized and swept over them. When the shadow dissipated, all the Bohemians were lying on the floor unconscious. Lorcán smiled down at them wickedly before calling over his shoulder.

"Dashiell! I have a job for you."

"Yes, sir," Dashiell bowed, appearing at his cruel master's side. "What do you require?"

"Take the women up to my personal quarters. I'll deal with them shortly. And make sure the Agent of Water can't escape again."

"And what of the men?" Dashiell paused to glance over at Roger and Mark.

"I have something very special in mind for them," Lorcán promised. "Now, get to it."

"Yes, sir," Dashiell nodded, stepping up to Emily and Mimi and levitating them both into the air to take them away. As Dashiell started leaving the room with the Boho girls in tow, Rodolfo began crawling after them in an attempt to stay with his mother. Unfortunately, this caught Lorcán's attention, and he spent a moment watching the toddler with a pitiless grin.

"Ancelin, I thought you'd know by now that you can't hide from me," he finally called to the cook, who had been watching the entire thing around the corner. "Come on out. I know very well that you're there." Pushing aside a sudden wave of fear, Ancelin stepped into view.

"I…I didn't wish to get in the way, sir," Ancelin explained pitifully.

"No matter," Lorcán waved away her words, stepping over to Roger and plucking Zack out of his hold. The small baby was surprisingly unharmed by the shadow's assault, but was visibly upset by being held by Lorcán, and started to cry and squirm immediately. Lorcán paid no attention to the baby's distress, and spoke over his cries. "I have a special task in mind for you."

"And what is that, sir?" Ancelin already knew that she wouldn't like these new orders.

"It would be a shame to make these two young boys try to get by without the care of their parents, wouldn't you agree? I'd think you'd agree with that very strongly, due to your recent displays of a bleeding heart. So, I'm going to allow you to show a bit of mercy to these two. Bring them down to the pond in the garden, Ancelin, and…put them out of their misery." Ancelin stiffened in horror, realizing what Lorcán was ordering her to do. She wanted to refuse, but her fear of Lorcán's control over her was too much. The memory of what had happened to his doppelganger didn't help her conviction to say 'no', either.

"I…right away, sir," Ancelin whispered. Fighting a fresh wave of tears, she removed Zack from Lorcán's hold and scooped Rodolfo up off the floor before bringing the two boys out to the estate's garden. Satisfied with his servants' submission in carrying out his orders, Lorcán returned his attention back to Mark and Roger. It was time to get rid of these two permanently.

* * *

Mark slowly started to slip out of unconsciousness, gingerly touching the sore spot on his chest where Lorcán's fireball had hit him. His head was spinning, but he was aware that he was lying face up on a cold, hard surface. Very slowly, he opened his eyes, only to see nothing but pitch blackness. Pushing aside his disorientation, he carefully pulled himself up into a sitting position. When he did so, the sound of someone else moving close by made him jump in surprise.

"Who's there?" Mark demanded, trying to see in the absolute darkness around him, but to no avail.

"Mark! You're awake!" Roger's voice answered back in relief. "Are you okay?"

"Roger? Yeah, I'm fine. But…where are we? What's going on? Where…where's Emily? And Mimi and the boys? Are they here?" Roger took a long moment to answer, but Mark could just picture him running a hand over his face before he replied.

"I don't know, Mark," Roger finally admitted. "I have no idea where the others are, or even where we are. All I know is…that we're stuck here."

"What are you talking about?" Mark cried, getting to his feet. Stretching his hands out, Mark quickly found what felt like a brick wall in front of him, and immediately started groping around for a door. "Look, there's a wall over here. We just have to find the door, and hope it's not…."

"There _is_ no door," Roger interrupted, sounding frustrated and close to loosing hope.

"What?" Mark turned back in the direction of Roger's voice, wishing there was at least a little bit of light so he could see him. He hated not being able to see, and felt a sudden wave of sympathy for the people who had to live their lives being blind. "Of course there's a door. We had to have gotten into this room somehow, wouldn't we?"

"Yes, we _did_ get in," Roger sighed heavily. "But it wasn't though a door, I can tell you that. You see, I woke up about ten minutes before you. At least, I _think_ it was ten minutes. I can't see my watch in here. Anyway, that's how I got to see that there are no windows or doors in here. Only four solid walls."

"Roger," Mark spoke slowly, sliding his back down the wall behind him to sit on the floor again. "Is…is there something I'm missing?"

"I wish I didn't have to say 'yes' to that question," Roger replied. "But…that wall that's behind you wasn't always there. If you feel it, you'll probably find that the cement holding the bricks together is still slightly wet. Unfortunately, it's not wet enough for us to push the wall down again."

"What are you trying to say?" Mark asked, dreading the answer.

"Mark, you remember when we were in high school, right? Remember when we had to read that Edgar Allen Poe story in class? The Cask of Amontillado?" Immediately, Mark felt his heart sink, the impact of Roger's words hitting him hard.

"No," Mark shook his head, not wanting to believe it. "Roger, you're not saying…."

"I woke up in time to see Lorcán putting up that brick wall," Roger announced. "I would have stopped him, but I was still half dazed at the time, and by the time I was on my feet, he'd just added the last brick.

"Long story short, Mark," Roger concluded, his voice announcing his defeated attitude, "We're trapped in here. Lorcán sealed us up in here, and left us to die. Slowly."


	14. Hitting Rock Bottom

Ancelin slowly made her way through the estate's gardens, carefully cradling Rodolfo and Zack in her arms. Every step she took, she felt the iron weight on her heart grow heavier. Lorcán's latest orders had to be the most terrible she'd ever been given. These two boys were only babies. Small, defenseless babies. To think that she had been ordered to…. The very thought left her feeling unbearably sick, but she was still only a servant. How could she possibly defy her master?

All too soon, she had arrived at the pond. Shaking from the restrained tears that threatened to fall, the cook slowly got to her knees before carefully depositing Zack onto the grass nearby. She'd decided that it would be easier for her to leave the infant for last. That way, there'd be less chance of the other one getting away. The last thing she wanted was for this to be drawn out. She needed to do this quickly, or her suffering would be even longer.

Steeling herself, Ancelin gathered up Rodolfo into her arms, slowly positioning his head to be lowered into the water. Just as she started tipping him backwards, however, a sudden noise made her jump. Looking upward, Ancelin saw that the noise had came from a large black crow perched nearby, staring down at her. While she was distracted by the crow, Rodolfo managed to push himself up in the cook's hold, and wrapped his small arms around her neck in an innocent, trusting hug, the kind that only a toddler could give. Immediately, Ancelin stiffened, overcome by the child's embrace, but she managed to move her hand to the boy's back to rub it gently. It was painfully clear to her that Rodolfo had no idea what she was about to do to him. Because of that, he was reaching out to her in the same way he'd reach for his mother, or some other trusted figure. In the process, he was making it very hard for her to continue with following Lorcán's orders.

As if Ancelin wasn't suffering enough already, Zack chose that moment to start babbling, gazing up at her with large blue eyes. Unable to take her eyes off the baby, Ancelin held out a finger, which he immediately grasped in his tiny fist. With this small, innocent act, Ancelin could no longer hold back her torment, and began to weep inconsolably at the thought of drowning these small children.

"I'm sorry," Ancelin whispered, pulling Rodolfo closer to her. "You poor boys. I'm so, so sorry."

* * *

Down in the bricked up room, Roger stumbled around until he felt where Mark was sitting and took a seat next to him.

"So," he began, attempting to keep things light in spite of how bleak their situation was. "What do you think will happen first? Us running out of air, or dying of starvation?"

"My money's on running out of air," Mark replied.

"Aw, f-ck," Roger tossed his head back. "This has got to be the _worst_ way to go. Being buried alive."

"Oh, I don't know," Mark shrugged. "I think being eaten alive would be worse." In spite of their current position, the two best friends started to laugh, if only to ease the tension, but the laughter quickly died away.

"Do you think Emily, Mimi, and the boys are okay?" Mark asked, the concern in his voice evident.

"I don't know," Roger shook his head. He'd noticed that Mark hadn't mentioned Penny, and knew that it was because her death was still too fresh for him to bring up. "I wish I could say they were, but if Lorcán's got them, which he probably does, I really don't see how they would be. I just hope they're better off than us."

For a long moment, the silence continued, until Mark suddenly started hearing an unexpected sound next to him.

"R..Roger?" Mark turned in the direction his best friend was sitting in. "Are you….?"

"Sh-t, Mark, I am so sorry," Roger choked out, his voice broken by a sudden onslaught of tears. "This is all my fault."

"No, it's not," Mark insisted, feeling slightly uncomfortable at the knowledge that Roger was crying.

"Yes, it is. This whole vacation was _my_ idea. And now we're stuck here. And who knows what that Lorcán bas-ard's doing to Mimi and Emily, or our sons. And even Penny…. None of this would have happened if I hadn't suggested going on this road trip."

"Come on, Roger. You didn't know this was going to happen."

"That doesn't matter," Roger dismissed the assurance. "Come on, Mark. Weren't you wondering why I decided we should all go on a family vacation out of nowhere? You know that I don't usually decide to do things on the spur of the moment like that. The truth is, I was planning this whole thing since…since Collins died." Mark continued to stare in the general direction of Roger's voice. Where was he planning on going with this?

"You were right, Mark," Roger confessed. "The stuff you said to me last October, when I was still suffering from Kain's attack? You were right. I _still _haven't changed after Santa Fe. I'm still as bad as I was after…" Roger's voice trailed off, and Mark could hear him swallow before continuing. "After April."

"What are you talking about? Of _course_, you're better. You've been better since you let Mimi into your life. You've gotten out of the Loft, you got a new band, and to be honest, you're even better than you were _before _the heroin."

"You don't get it," Roger replied. "Yeah, I've been living again, alright, and I'm no longer hiding behind my music. But…I've still been hiding. I've been hiding in my family. In Mimi, and Rodolfo, and you, and our friends. After all this time, I still wasn't accepting the truth. Every day I spent with Mimi, Rodolfo, and the rest of our family was another day of me trying to pretend that I never used that contaminated needle, and that I didn't have HIV. But…after Collins died a few months back, I couldn't pretend any more.

"I'm going to die, Mark. I don't know…if it'll be Mimi or me who'll go first, but…I'm going to die a lot sooner than I want to. Collins' death was like my wake-up call. That's why I wanted to go on this road trip, Mark. Because I might not have had another chance to go on a real family vacation again."

"Roger, stop talking like that," Mark demanded. "You're taking your AZT, and I don't even have to remind you to take it anymore. And your last T-cell count was very good. You're not going to die anytime soon."

"We thought Collins was going to be around longer, too," Roger remembered.

"Look, I really don't think this is the time to talk about this," Mark pointed out, starting to grow angry. "And even if it was, this is not the kind of thing I want to…"

"I know you don't want to talk about this," Roger interrupted. "I know you probably don't _ever _want to talk about it, and I_ really_ don't want to, either. But that's not the point, Mark. We _need_ to talk about it."

"Why now, all of a sudden?!"

"Because you and I have _never_ talked about this straight out. Every time we got close to talking about it, we'd either change the subject, or pretend like it never came up in the first place. I mean, do you realize that the closest we've ever came to actually talking about it was right after Angel's funeral? And let's be honest, that didn't go well at all, did it?"

"Well, what do you want me to say?" Mark cried, his anger growing. It was bad enough that Roger was pushing a topic like this, but did he _really _have to remind him of that fight they'd had before Roger had left for Santa Fe, too? "Roger, you're my best friend. You've been my best friend since we were in preschool. All our lives, we've done everything together. Class field trips to the museum, birthday parties at pizza places, spending our summers at Adirondack Camp, senior year in high school, moving to New York after dropping out of college. But then you had to go and use that f-cking needle." By that point, Mark's voice was starting to break, his anger dissolving into long-suppressed grief.

"I know," Roger choked, the lump in his thought evident in his voice. "I f-cked up, Mark. I'm so sorry. You've been the best friend I ever had, and there were times when you had every right to just walk out on me. But you never did. I never once did _anything_ to deserve having a friend like you, but I'll _never_ be able to say just how much I appreciated you. I just wish we could go back to when we were kids, so I could do everything differently."

"Roger, come on," Mark stumbled over his words, his throat almost too tight to speak. "You were better than you're giving yourself credit for. You were only an a-s when you were a junkie. Overlooking the heroin years, you were everything I'd ever wanted in a brother. You were the one who helped me learn how to ride a bike, when my dad was too busy to teach me, remember? You were the reason the school bullies left me alone in junior high, and I _never _would have had the guts to move into the Loft in Alphabet City if you weren't around. And in spite of everything, we've had the best times in the Loft. Even better times than the ones we had in Scarsdale, and…. Ah, sh-t, Roger," Mark's voice broke off as he finally reached his breaking point. "I never wanted to discuss this because I don't think I can handle things without you around. Even if we somehow manage to get out of this mess, what am I supposed to do when you're not there anymore?"

"I'll tell you what you'd do," Roger answered, reaching out to wrap an arm around Mark in a one-armed hug, the type he used to give him when they were teens. "You'd keep on filming everything you see, and keep working at it until your name's as big as Spielberg's. You'd continue going to the Life Café every month with our friends and torture the manager. You'd have sex with Emily every chance you get, and make lots of little Marks. You'd spend every day raising the kids, making sure they know all about the crazy times we all had together, telling them about their Aunt Angel, Uncle Collins, Aunt Mimi, and Uncle Roger. And if there's a time when you're not sure if you can handle things when some stupid sh-t comes along, just head out to the park, look up at the sky, and think of me, knowing that while you're there looking up, I'm up there looking right back at you." At these words, Mark let out what sounded like something between a laugh and a sob, and the two boys managed to move into a brotherly hug, doing their best to nonverbally convey how much the friendship they'd shared mattered to them.

"Since when is Roger Davis the one to talk so openly, anyway?" Mark teased once the hug had ended.

"Since I realized I had the family most guys can only dream of having. Besides, look at how long I've been living with you. Sooner or later, I'd have to start showing a feminine side, too."

"Shut up!" Mark shot back, slightly sulking, but in seconds, the two of them were laughing again.

At that moment, they both heard someone else speaking. The new voice however was muffled, and it took Mark and Roger a few seconds to realize that this voice was coming from the other side of the brick wall behind them.

"Mr. Davis, Mr. Cohen," the voice called out. "Can you hear me?"

"Who's there?" Roger called back. "Who are you?"

"Forgive me, sir, the voice answered. "But we don't have much time now. Both of you, please step back from the wall. And Hurry."

"What are you…" Mark never got to finish his sentence before they heard something slamming against the bricks. Instantly, they managed to figure out that the person on the other side was trying to knock down the wall to free them.

Acting on instinct, Mark and Roger got as far away from the wall in question as possible, waiting as their rescuer continued working. Finally, after what had to be well over fifteen minutes, a hole had been broken into the brick wall, just large enough for them to squeeze through. Being especially careful not to bring the rest of the wall down on them, the best friends slowly crawled their way out, momentarily wincing from the sudden brightness that waited for them outside their confinement. Once their eyes had adjusted to the light, they turned to thank their helper, and were unable to hide their surprise at seeing who had come to their aid. It was Ancelin.

* * *

**AN:** I'm sorry to say that I don't think I'll be able to have this completed in time for Halloween as I'd hoped, since it's only three days away, so I'm a little bummed about that. Anyway, I really hope that this chapter's good as it is. I was originally going to have a small scene showing what's happening with Mimi and Emily, but I decided to wait until the next chapter for that. Sorry for any discouragement, but I'll reveal everything eventually. (Unless, God forbid, I get hit by a truck while driving down to Tops for some milk and die.)


	15. A Change of Heart

**AN: **Happy Halloween! (Or belated Halloween, depending on what time zone you live in). Hope you all had a good holiday, and that it was somewhat more eventful than mine: my Halloween consisted of watching the live broadcast of Ghost Hunters on Sci Fi (which is my favorite TV program) while constantly swatting at a bug that seems to enjoy flying into my face every five seconds. (Halloween has really died in my hometown. It might as well be just another day at this point.)

Anyway, while this story is nowhere near being finished, I worked almost non-stop on getting this chapter finished for tonight. Consider it my Halloween treat for everyone who has followed this story, especially those of you who have been kind enough to leave reviews. Enjoy.

* * *

"Ancelin!" Mark gaped in surprise. "What are you…?"

"Please, Mr. Cohen, there's no time to explain," Ancelin cut him off, glancing around nervously. "Both of you need to follow me."

"Not until you tell us where Mimi and Emily are," Roger demanded, stepping towards the cook. "And what did Lorcán do to Rodolfo and Zack?"

"Do not worry, Mr. Davis, Mr. Cohen," Ancelin assured. "Your sons are both safe. They've been hidden somewhere where Lorcán will never find them. But your wives have been taken to Lorcán's personal chambers. We have to hurry, or we'll be too late to save them."

"You're offering to help us?" Mark asked skeptically as he and Roger started to follow Ancelin out of the room.

"I know I'm being foolish in doing so," Ancelin admitted. "But I also know I cannot bear taking any more innocent lives. I…I want the curse to be broken, so I can finally find peace."

"What curse?" Roger frowned in confusion.

"Oh, that's right, you weren't with us when we found Emily," Mark remembered. "She found out that Lorcán placed a curse over this place, and the reason he wants to kill us is because he thinks that we're the ones who can break it."

"What?" Roger cried incredulously. "We don't know anything about breaking any curse. What makes Lorcán think that we could?"

"I really couldn't tell you," Mark shrugged. "But that diary Emily found while we were separated stated that Lorcán's curse could be broken by the five Elemental Agents. Since there were five of us, until Penny…"

"The diary?" Ancelin suddenly stopped, turning to face them. "Did you say you found a diary?"

"Emily found it, actually," Mark explained, holding it up for her to see. Instantly, Ancelin's eyes widened.

"I thought Lorcán had it destroyed," she whispered. "I didn't think I'd see my diary unharmed again."

"_Your_ diary? You mean, _you_ wrote this?"

"As it says in the pages, I thought it would dishonor the memory of Master Kerrich to not write down what had happened here all those years ago." Ancelin explained.

"If you were the one who wrote the diary," Roger eyed Ancelin skeptically, "then why don't you tell us why Lorcán thinks that we're these Elemental Agents? We don't know anything about magic and stuff like that. Most of the knowledge I gained when Kain turned me into a vampire was wiped out when I was cured, so I certainly can't remember anything that would be useful."

"I promise you, Mr. Davis," Ancelin replied. "I will explain everything as soon as all of you are together. It is something all of you will need to hear. Now, please, I cannot stress the urgency for us to hurry enough. I don't know how much longer Lorcán will be out of his quarters, but once he returns to them, it might be too late to save your wives. "

"All right," Mark consented, his face set in determination. He wasn't about to loose Emily, especially so soon after loosing Penny. "Take us to them."

* * *

"You having any luck, Mimi?" Emily asked, glancing over at the Latina as she tried to slip her wrist out of the manacles.

"No," Mimi admitted, giving up after her twentieth attempt ended in failure. "Unfortunately, these are nothing like the handcuffs I used during my time at the Cat Scratch. My old skills aren't going to be much help now. What about you? Can you reach that bobby pin you used earlier in the dungeons?"

"Sorry, but it's in my back pocket," Emily replied. "I'll never be able to reach it like this."

When the two girls had came to, they discovered that they'd been chained to the floor in the middle of a stone room that was lit by numerous torches, with a disturbing amount of occult symbols adorning the walls. In fact, Mimi and Emily had both been chained inside a similar symbol that had been drawn on the floor.

"I know I'm going to regret asking this," Mimi began, looking over at the symbol encircling them uncomfortably, "but doesn't this look similar to the one Kain used last Halloween to try and drain us of our energy?"

"I was thinking the same thing, actually," Emily grimaced, tugging against the shackles and manacles that were securing her to the floor. "But I think it might be worse than that this time. In the diary I found, it said that Lorcán once used a dog in some sort of sacrificial ritual that resulted in the death of his father. I think that he used the dog to curse this place in the first place. He might be planning to perform another ritual, with us as the sacrificial killing."

"Yeah, _that's _something I needed to hear," Mimi squeezed her eyes shut.

"Sorry, Mimi," Emily apologized. "I didn't mean to add any stress to this situation.

"No, it's fine," Mimi insisted. "I had a feeling that's what Lorcán was planning, anyway. I just wish I could see Roger and Rodolfo one last time. Do you think Lorcán's doing the same to them, and to Mark and Zack?"

"I…I don't see any reason to think otherwise," Emily muttered, just as sorrowful as Mimi. "He certainly didn't show any mercy for Penny."

"Emily, I'm _so_ sorry," Mimi comforted with intense sincerity. "I don't know how I'd feel, or what I'd do, if it had been Rodolfo who had….." Emily didn't reply, but cast Mimi a brief but grateful smile.

At that moment, the two friends were alerted by the sound of the handle on the nearby door turning, an indication that Lorcán had returned to begin the ritual. Fearfully, Emily and Mimi stared at the heavy wooden door as it slowly opened, the hinges creaking from the years of rust, and steeled themselves for what was about to happen to them. To their immense surprise and relief, however, it wasn't Lorcán standing outside the door, but Mark and Roger, accompanied by Ancelin.

"Roger! Mark!"

"How did you…"

"Never mind that," Roger waved away their questions as he and Mark immediately crossed the room to their sides. "Right now, we gotta get the two of you out of here."

"Here, use this," Ancelin spoke up, taking a small key out of her dress pocket. "It'll unlock the shackles and manacles."

"Thanks," Mark said, taking the key and immediately putting it to use.

"Thanks doesn't even begin to cut it," Emily added, beaming up at the cook. "I _knew _you were braver than you thought you were, Ancelin. This proves it."

"I still say you're wrong about that, Mrs. Cohen," Ancelin denied the claim. "I still don't feel brave at all."

"That doesn't matter," Roger pointed out. "Being brave has_ nothing_ to do with not being scared. The fact that you're helping us even though you're scared; _that's _what bravery really is." From the look on Ancelin's face, it was obvious that no one had ever explained that to her before.

Seconds later, Emily and Mimi had been freed from their chains and were getting to their feet, with Mark helping Emily.

"Really wish that doppelganger hadn't taken my cane," Emily sighed. "As much as I love you and appreciate the help, Mark, I really don't want to make you help support me for very long."

"Oh, of course," Ancelin stepped forward again, pulling out Emily's cane from behind her apron. "I managed to retrieve it, after Lorcán…disposed of the doppelganger. I thought I should return it to you, so I brought it along."

"Ancelin, we can't ever thank you enough," Mimi laughed as Emily gratefully took her cane back.

"Actually, you can," Ancelin announced.

"If this is about the curse," Roger frowned, "I told you before, none of us know anything about lifting any curse."

"Then…perhaps it's time for me to explain everything I managed to learn about the curse," Ancelin decided. "I already know that you have found the diary I wrote, but that diary doesn't explain everything I learned about Lorcán's curse after all these years. And…as much as I do not wish to get my hopes up, you know yourselves far better than I do. Perhaps, once you hear what I have learned about the Elemental Agents, you might realize something I do not."

"Ancelin, it's not that we don't appreciate what you've done tonight," Mark began to apologize, "but we've already been through too much these past two days. We've lost Penny, and we'll _never_ be able to heal from that. I'm sorry, but… we can't afford to lose someone else."

"I know, Mr. Cohen," Ancelin spoke softly. "I truly wish you never had to suffer that loss. But…. I might be wrong, but…. There might still be a chance to save your daughter."

"What?" The four Bohemians looked over in surprise at Ancelin's words.

"But that's not possible!" Roger exclaimed. "Penny, she's…she's dead."

"Yes, she is," Ancelin nodded. "But I discovered something while I was placing your sons somewhere safe. It's not easy to explain what it is. It's best that you see first hand.

"As I said earlier, I learned some things about the Elemental Agents while under Lorcán's curse. And if I'm right about what I discovered on this night, then Penny might still have a chance. If she does, then not only will you be able to have her back, but we can _all_ finally be free. Come with me one last time, and I will show you what I mean."


	16. The Elemental Agents

**AN:** Forgive the short chapter, but I'm really tired, and want to get to sleep. However, I did my very best to make this chapter good enough to post, especially since it does deal with a moral issue, and I really hope you can understand why they decide what they do. Read on and enjoy.

* * *

Ancelin led the Bohemian family down to a room far below the mansion, even further down than the dungeons. The only light came from an old candelabrum that Ancelin was holding. Roger was taking up the rear, carefully carrying Penny's body, which they'd retrieved from where it had been left at the base of the stairs. Ancelin had stated clearly that her body should be brought along if they wanted to save her.

Before long, they came to a wooden door, which opened up into a dark, musty room. The room itself was almost empty, except for a few wall-mounted torches and an alcove embedded in the wall opposite the door.

"Close the door behind you," Ancelin instructed, using her candelabrum to light the torches and flood the room with their light. "I'll explain everything, then." Obediently, Roger pushed to door shut with his back, keeping a firm hold on Penny's body. Once the door had been closed, Ancelin crossed the room to the alcove, which everyone could now see held a bench-like structure. Atop the bench was a heavy tarp, which looked as if it was draped over a human figure.

"Last night," Ancelin spoke to the Bohemians, "I believe Penny saw a face in the mirror?"

"Yes, that's right," Mark confirmed.

"That face was the product of Lorcán's magic," Ancelin explained. "His intention was to lure Penny to him."

"And Lorcán was the one who brought Penny to our room," Emily remembered. "Ancelin, he didn't do anything to Penny before he left her with us, did he?"

"No, he didn't," Ancelin shook her head. "But that doesn't mean he hadn't planned to. Lorcán's reason for luring Penny out of her room last night was because he wanted to replace her with a doppelganger, like he did with you."

"You mean this Penny's another decoy?" Mimi guessed, looking over at the body of the little girl.

"I'm afraid not," Ancelin denied apologetically. "That child Mr. Davis is carrying is the real Penny."

"But you just said that Lorcán tried to create a copy of Penny," Roger cried. "Why would he do that and not make the switch?"

"Because Penny's doppelganger was a failure," Ancelin answered, turning to the alcove bench and pulling the tarp aside. Lying there was another Penny. Like the genuine article, the Penny Doppelganger was motionless.

"I don't get it," Emily looked from between her daughter and the doppelganger. "Why didn't this doppelganger work, when mine did?"

"There's only one possible reason," Ancelin announced. "From what I've secretly discovered over the years, in order for a doppelganger to come to life, a fragment of the original person's soul must be transferred into the doppelganger. But when Lorcán tried to create a doppelganger of Penny, he couldn't fragment her soul. According to Lorcán's spells, that can only mean one thing.

"There's only one time a person's soul cannot be spilt or divided. That's when the person in question is the Agent of Spirit."

"You mean, Penny really _is_ one of the Elemental Agents?" Mark's eyes widened. "But she's just a little girl!"

"I know, and that's one of the qualifications," Ancelin said. As the Bohemians exchanged looks, the cook removed a piece of paper from her apron pocket. "I managed to take this page from the book that speaks of the Elemental Agents. Perhaps you'll understand more once you've heard what it says about them." Unfolding the page, Ancelin began to read the words written there, and the four friends listened with various reactions to what they were hearing.

"Of all the iconic figures in magical lore, there are none more legendary than the Five Elemental Agents, for it is extremely rare for all five to adjoin together in the same time and place. When this event does occur, each Elemental Agent can be identified by the possession of the chosen qualities of each element, both favorable and unflattering.

"The Agent of Air, characterized with strong gifts of hope, joy and determination, along with a certain degree of impulsiveness, the Agent of Fire, filled with courage, passion, and creativity, accompanied by a potential for a violent temper, the Agent of Earth, steadfast and patient, asking for little, but covering up all dejection with a smile, the Agent of Water, spreading compassion and empathy all around, but containing a sadness of her own, and the Agent of Spirit, the rarest of all, graced with a calm sense of peace and forgiveness that can exist only in the heart of a child.

"When the Five Elemental Agents unite, pooling the very essences of their unique, individual souls, the power generated shall be strong enough to bring an end any curse, regardless of how formidable it may be." When Ancelin finished, the Bohemians were silent, turning her words over in her head.

"I still don't see why everyone here thinks that applies to us," Roger furrowed his brow.

"I don't know," Mimi spoke up. "If you ask me, _you_ seem to fit the bill for the Agent of Fire. You _do_ have courage and passion, and _everyone_ knows about that temper of yours."

"Yeah, and Lorcán called Emily the Agent of Water," Mark remembered. "I'd say she qualifies as having compassion and empathy. Just look at how she used to take care of all those kids who lived in the Center, back when we first met her."

"And I still feel sad sometimes," Emily admitted. "Especially when I think about how much I miss my parents and older brother."

"That just leaves the question of which one of you is the Agent of Air, and which one is the Agent of Earth." Ancelin figured.

"Well, the Agent of Air sounds like Mimi," Roger reflected. "Hope, joy, determination, and impulsiveness? She's been showing those qualities since we first met, with heavy emphasis on impulsiveness. Take the very first time she kissed me, for example." For a brief moment, Roger and Mimi shared a look, with Roger nonverbally trying to convey his regret at lashing out at her the way he did back then, and Mimi doing her best to show him that she'd forgiven him ages ago.

"Then, if Penny's the Agent of Spirit, as obvious by the fact that Lorcán couldn't split her soul," Mark concluded, "that just leaves the Agent of Earth."

"And you do seem to match up to that role," Emily observed. Everyone's told me how often you've helped our friends out in the past. And you never _do_ ask for anything in return. Really, it's like pulling teeth trying to get you to say what you want for your birthday."

"Do any of you still doubt that you are the Elemental Agents?" Ancelin asked with a smile. This time, no one voiced any objections. Even Roger looked somewhat convinced.

"There's still one problem," Emily finally spoke up. "If we _are_ the Elemental Agents, that page says we need all five of us to lift the curse. But…without Penny, there are only four of us. We wouldn't be able to break the curse, anyway."

"That is true," Ancelin nodded. "But I've already said that there's still a chance to save her. However, there _will _be a price."

"What price?" Roger asked.

"There's a reason I asked you to bring Penny's body with us," Ancelin explained. "Since it's been made clear that she is the Agent of Spirit, her soul is more durable than it usually would be. It's quite possible it can be called back."

"So, you're saying there's a way to return it to her body?" Mimi guessed hopefully.

"No," Ancelin shook her head. "I'm afraid Penny's body has been without a spirit for too long. No soul can inhabit it any more. But… there's still the body of the failed doppelganger to serve as a vessel for Penny's soul."

"No!" Mark exclaimed in outrage. "You're not seriously suggesting that we just _settle_ for a copy of Penny!"

"You don't understand," Ancelin attempted to calm Mark. "It's not like that at all. I know it won't be the same as having your daughter back, but it won't be a doppelganger, either. Doppelgangers only contain a fragment of a person's soul, with the rest being filled with their creator's orders. But in this case, the entire soul will be used. The Penny that will result will be everything your Penny was. Only her body will be different. I admit I'm a little behind the times from being under this curse for so long, but I believe it's a common practice in the world today to place one person's organs into someone else's body?"

"You mean an organ transplant," Mimi noted.

"Exactly. This will be quite similar, only it's a soul that's being transplanted.

"I'll say again, it won't be anything like the doppelganger Lorcán created to impersonate Mrs. Cohen. It _will_ be Penny, in every way that counts."

"I…I still don't like this," Mark looked away. "It still seems too much like settling for a consolation prize.

"Ancelin," Emily stepped forward. "Are you _sure_ that she won't be like my doppelganger? She wouldn't suddenly turn around and follow Lorcán's orders?"

"No, I don't think so," Ancelin confirmed. "It really will be Penny, but in another body."

"Emily, you're not actually thinking about _agreeing_ to this, are you?" Mark stared at his wife in disbelief. "I'd have thought you of all people would…."

"Mark," Emily cut him off. "I once said that I wouldn't care if Penny was autistic, born with an extra head, or had spina bifida. None of that's important, because she's just Penny. That was true then, and it's true now. No matter what, as long as she's Penny, I'd love her regardless. That's the measure of a mother's love." For a long moment, Mark and Emily met each other's eyes, until finally Mark nodded.

"Yeah," he spoke. "I think I see what you're saying." With a shaky smile, he turned to Ancelin, taking hold of Emily's hand as he did so. "All right, then. Do it."


	17. Soul Transfer

**AN:** Please forgive me if this isn't as good as usual. I'm getting over a sudden cold, and I feel like I could fall asleep without even realizing it. I better feel better in the morning, since Wednesday is my busy day, and I don't really have 'me time' until after nine pm. (I also hope the cafeteria is offering cheese tortellinis tomorrow. I could really go for that right now.)

* * *

Following Ancelin's instructions, which were taken from one of Lorcán's stolen books, Mark and Roger positioned Penny's body and the failed doppelganger in the center of the room. Meanwhile, Mimi was given the task of drawing a magical circle around the bodies, and Emily went to work at lighting ritualistic candles that framed the circle.

"I'm still feeling uneasy about this," Ancelin confessed. "Just by reading this book, I'm going against everything I was taught as a child."

"I know what you mean," Emily agreed after lighting the last candle. "Even Nana steers away from performing rituals."

"I just hope this works, Ancelin," Mimi looked up from drawing the magic circle.

"Well, we're doing what's written out here, word for word," Ancelin stated, stepping forward to examine the magic circle to see if it had been drawn correctly. "All that's missing is the final central drawing, the alchemic symbol for 'soul'."

"Let me do it," Mark held out a hand for the book. "I'm closest to the center, anyway."

"Here," Ancelin passed the book to him. "It's like an eight, but with a line through it." Studying the symbol closely, Mark sketched it in the center of the magic circle, between Penny and her doppelganger as carefully as he could.

"Okay," Mark stood up once the symbol had been drawn. "Now, this book says we need to stand at the four points around the circle, because the Spirit Element draws strength from the other elements. Roger, you stand at the base of the circle, since you're the Agent of Fire, and fire's associated with the south. At least, according to this book, it is. Mimi, air's tied to the east, so you're on the right side, and Emily's on the left, because water's direction is west. I have to stand at the top, seeing as how I'm supposed to be the Agent of Earth, and that means I get north." Wordlessly, the Bohemian family took their appointed positions around the magic circle, which started to glow with a silvery white light almost instantly. The light quickly washed over Penny and the doppelganger, and completely blocked both bodies from view.

"Emily, don't move!" Roger called over to her, noticing that she was seconds away from hurrying into the center, out of concern and fear for Penny's safety. Just as Emily cast him an uncertain look, the bright light vanished, as quickly as it had appeared. In the center of the magic circle, Penny's original body had disappeared, leaving only the failed doppelganger's body. Moving simultaneously, Mark and Emily stepped into the magic circle and bent over the small figure, with Mark lifting her off the ground.

"Penny?" Emily spoke hesitantly, reaching out to stroke her head. For a few tense seconds, the little girl didn't move, but just as everyone started fearing that their attempt had failed, Penny let out a soft moan and opened her grey blue eyes.

"Mom? Dad?" Penny looked around, speaking weakly.

"We're here, Pen," Mark choked, nearly crying in relief as he and Emily enveloped her in a thankful hug.

"But what happened?" Penny asked, looking around the room, and at the happy smiles that had appeared on Roger, Mimi and Ancelin's faces. "Where are we? I was with Uncle Roger. We were heading out to the minivan, and…we went flying. I can't remember anything else."

"Don't worry about that, Penny," Roger smiled down at his 'niece'. "We'll explain everything later."

"Right now, there's still the curse to deal with," Mimi added. "We kinda owe Ancelin after everything she's done to help us. We can't just run off without helping her now. That would be ungrateful."

"That's going to be even harder, I'm afraid," Ancelin spoke up. "According to Lorcán's spell book, it's not enough for the Elemental Agents to come together. To break the curse, we have to perform the ritual in the same place the curse was cast. That means we have to go to Lorcán's childhood room."

"You can't be serious!" Emily gaped. "There's no way we can do that without running into Lorcán!"

"She's right," Mark agreed. "He'll kill us if he found us all together. We barely managed to live this long, and we may not be as lucky again."

"I know it's a dangerous task," Ancelin nodded apologetically. "But there's no other way." The Bohemian family was silent, knowing that Ancelin was right. To break the curse, they would have risk facing Lorcán, and if they left without trying, it would only be a matter of time before another family came to the mansion and suffered the same fate they nearly did. There really wasn't much of a choice.

"All right. Where's Lorcán's old room?" Roger was the first to speak.

"I'll show you," Ancelin replied, visibly relieved and hopeful as she led the five friends out of the room and up to the mansion. As they stepped out into the main foyer, through one of the many secret passages that existed in the manor house, Penny lightly tugged on Mark's arm, frowning slightly in confusion.

"_Wha_t curse?" Almost instantly, everyone stopped in their tracks, remembering simultaneously that Penny hadn't been with them when Ancelin explained all about the curse. Before they could start filling her in, however, Dashiell suddenly appeared from around the corner and froze in shock at the sight of Ancelin standing with the Bohemians.

"What are you doing, Ancelin?" Dashiell scolded, his voice carrying a hint of fear. "I was just sent to inform you that the strangers had escaped, and Lorcán has demanded we find them and report directly to them, and here you are helping them escape?"

"No, Dashiell," Ancelin responded, sounding suddenly braver than she had before. "These five can help break the curse. I'm showing them how."

"What are you….you are speaking nonsense!" Dashiell glanced quickly from Ancelin to the Bohemians and back again. "_Nothing_ can break the curse, and you are forgetting your place. You and I are nothing more than servants, Ancelin. Our job is to serve our master."

"I have not forgotten that," Ancelin insisted. "But for all this time, when has either of us ever called Lorcán 'master?' Think of everything that has happened since Lorcán took control, Dashiell. Are you really willing to continue existing this way? To serve someone who controls us with fear? I've done so for too long, but not anymore. I want to be free. Free to move on in peace."

"He will _destroy_ us if we go against him," Dashiell glanced around nervously.

"Will you prefer to spend your eternity serving Lorcán?" Ancelin challenged. "I choose to serve Master Kerrich, Dashiell. Who will you serve?" Dashiell did not reply, and merely looked away. Without another word, Ancelin turned back to the Bohemians. "Follow me, and I'll take you to the room you have to be in to break the curse."

"Ancelin!" Dashiell called out, just as they were about to make their way up the stairwell, which had repaired itself after Penny's temporary death. "Are...are you sure? Can…can these people really break the curse?"

"We'll try," Mark promised. For the longest time, Dashiell fixed them with an unreadable expression, but then turned started hurrying off.

"Where are you going?" Ancelin asked, slightly worried about his motives.

"I…I can do what I can to…to keep Lorcán away for you," Dashiell explained without turning to them. "I won't be able to do so for long, but….I hope I can give you some time. Whether or not it'll be enough…."

"It will be," Ancelin declared confidently. "You can be sure about that."

"Then…," Dashiell finally looked back at the six people on the stairs, the slightest hint of tears in his eyes. "Good luck."

"You too," Roger cast him a supportive smile as the butler hurried out of the room.

"He'll be all right, won't he?" Penny asked in concern.

"I'm sure he will be," Mimi assured, laying a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "Now, let's get going. Like Dashiell said, he can only give us a little time.. Let's not waste it."

* * *

**AN:** Only two chapters left to go, and the next one will probably be rather long. A thank you to everyone who's had the patience to stick with this story. I hope the ending will be to your liking.


	18. The Battle Lost

**AN:** Very short chapter, as well as a huge cliffhanger. Sorry this took so long, and that it will be a short chapter, but 1) I had temporarily reached a stand-still and 2) if I go any further in this chapter, I'll be moving into the next chapter. So, please just enjoy what I've put up for now, and be on the look out for the next chapter.

* * *

Mimi and Penny had to stifle gasps upon seeing Lorcán's childhood room. The bare walls had been covered with upside-down pentagrams and other symbols, all drawn in blood. Animal skulls and black candles lined the desk and floor, along with a great deal of various other objects, including what looked horribly like human hearts in jars.

"This is sick," Roger shuttered, doing his best to not look at the objects inside the room. "All right, Ancelin. Tell us what to do, so we can break this curse and get out of here."

"I'm…" Ancelin began, looking away, "I'm afraid I'm not quite sure what you're supposed to do. The book that tells about the Elemental Agents is not clear on that. All it says is that you have to come together to break the curse."

But how do we do that?" Mark exclaimed. "Lorcán could arrive here any second!"

"Why didn't you tell us that you didn't know what to do once we got here?" Emily stepped in. "Now we're practically trapped in here, with no way to defend ourselves."

"Well, I'm not going down without a fight," Roger announced, grabbing a knife from the desk.

"Roger, don't," Mimi took hold of his arm. "We're dealing with an evil…whatever a male witch is called. You're not a vampire anymore, which means you're able to get hurt, or worse. There's no way you can fight him with just that knife."

"Allow me to correct you, Agent of Air," a cruel voice interrupted. "You cannot fight me at _all_." As Ancelin and the Bohemian family reacted to his sudden appearance, Lorcán materialized in the corner of the room, smiling darkly at everyone. In his hand, much to everyone's horror, was Dashiell's severed head.

"Surely you didn't thing that this miserable excuse for a servant could stall me?" Lorcán sneered, discarding it without a care. "Although, I _am _surprised he would ever turn against me. But not as surprised as I am that a sniveling woman like you, Ancelin, would do the same."

"You cannot control me anymore!" Ancelin announced as she strode bravely forward. "I should have turned against you generations ago, but I didn't. That doesn't mean I can't still make up for the part I played in all those innocent lives you've taken, by helping _this_ family."

"Oh, no, Ancelin," Lorcán's evil smile widened. "You were wise to wait this long. Although, it would have been even wiser for you to not betray me at all." Before anyone could do anything to stop him, Lorcán waved an arm in what appeared to be a nonverbal spell. In an instant, a beam of light erupted from the floor, surrounding Ancelin who cried out in agonized pain as she was incinerated on the spot.

"Ancelin, no," Penny whispered, horrified to the point of tears. "How…how could he…?"

"Lorcán, you f-cking _monster_!" Mimi cried, rounding on the heartless figure as he un-ceremonially kicked the ashes aside.

"I advise you to worry more about yourselves," Lorcán taunted. "Because now, you no longer have anyone left to help you."

"Just let us go, Lorcán," Mark spoke up, moving protectively in front of Emily and Penny. "We don't know how to break the curse, so we're no threat to you. At the very least, let the girls go."

"I'm with Mark," Roger agreed, stepping to his side. "You can do what you want with us, but let our families go unharmed."

"No chance!" Mimi insisted, glaring at Roger. "How can you even think I'd leave you now? You _know_ I won't be able to survive without you, Roger Davis."

"And I've already told _you_ that I'd never abandon you," Emily gripped Mark's hand, echoing Mimi's refusal to leave.

"I'm not going anywhere, either!" Penny stated firmly.

"Most touching sentiments," Lorcán sneered. "A pity they are wasted on me. You five are all a threat to me, regardless of how much you know, so _none_ of you can be allowed to exist any longer." The Bohemians, upon seeing Lorcán raising his arm again, braced themselves for the same fate as Ancelin, but this time, no beam of light appeared. For a few moments, they were left wondering what had happened, until Roger felt his legs starting to grow numb. Upon looking down, he saw that his body was rapidly disappearing, almost as if it were being erased. His startled cry alerted the others to the fact that the same thing was happening to all of them. Almost at once, they realized exactly what Lorcán had meant when he said they wouldn't be allowed to exist. He wasn't simply killing them, he was erasing them from existence.

With a cruel glare, Lorcán watched in satisfaction as the Bohemians' bodies disappeared before his eyes, relishing in their shouts of alarm and fear. Much too soon for his liking, all five of them had completely vanished, their cries being silenced instantly, but he still smiled pitilessly, knowing that the Elemental Agents were no more. He had won.


	19. But Not The War

**AN: **Finally, I managed to continue after the major cliffhanger last chapter, when Lorcán appeared to have defeated the Bohos. I wanted to post it tonight since I won't have much time tomorrow, seeing at it's my birthday. I had the most trouble with the 'if I never knew you' speeches, so I hope they turned out okay. Plus, we have some possibly surprising cameos in here. (If you saw them coming, than you're more amazing than words can ever say, since I tried hard not to give away too much.)

* * *

Mere seconds after Lorcán's spell had been placed on him, Mark could feel himself floating through an empty space. There was no air around him, but he was not suffocating. He never would have imagined that this was what it felt like to not exist. The experience was so surreal, it was a good minute before he started to realize that there was a problem. If he really _had_ been erased from existence, would he really still be aware of his surroundings? The instant he'd considered this, Mark opened his eyes, finding that he was surrounded by nothing but white. Around him, Roger, Mimi, Emily and Penny were also starting to look around.

"Guys, are you okay?" he asked his friends, somehow managing to move closer to Emily and Penny.

"I guess I can't really say we're still alive, can I?" Roger muttered, looking completely lost. "So, was that it? Did we just loose?"

Yeah," Mark replied, his face deflated. "I think we did."

"But…we can get back, can't we?" Penny asked, slightly fearful.

"I don't know, Penny," Emily confessed. "I just don't know."

"What is this place, anyway?" Mimi wondered, looking around at the bareness of their surroundings.

"That's difficult to say," a very familiar, jovial voice explained from behind them.

"But I suppose you _could _call it Limbo," a second voice continued. Almost immediately, expressions of amazement and hopefulness crossed everyone's faces as they turned towards the voices. For a moment, they found themselves facing a large crow and the black dog that had stopped the Bohemians from following the Emily Doppelganger down the secret passageway. Seconds later, the two animals changed form before their eyes, turning into very familiar figures.

"Angel! Collins!" Mimi cried out in delight, hurrying forward to embrace her friends. "I can't believe you're here."

"It's good to see you too, chica," Angel replied, returning the hug.

"Emily, Penny," Mark turned to his wife and daughter. "You've never met. This is Angel."

"Wait!" Emily stared at Angel, who was wearing the same outfit he'd worn the night he first met Collins, as Penny waved in greeting. "_This_ is your friend, Angel?"

"Yeah," Mimi confirmed, wiping away an emotional tear. "Is something wrong?"

"As a matter of fact, yeah," Emily laughed. "Why didn't you guys ever show me a picture of Angel when she was dressed like a boy?"

"Why does that matter?" Roger looked from Angel to Emily. "You two never met anyway, so…"

"Actually," Emily spoke up, "we _have_. Five years before I met any of you, when she set up her drums outside the Center."

"Emily realized I had nowhere to go that night," Angel added. "She invited me to stay at the Center until morning, just so I wouldn't have to sleep on the street."

"You _did_ meet Angel before?" Mimi cried incredulously. "Why did you keep saying you hadn't?"

"Because she didn't realize I was the same person," Angel answered. "Like she said, she only met me that one time. And I wasn't in drag that night, like I was in the pictures you always showed her. She never saw any picture of me when I wasn't."

"That's why I never made the connection between your friend and the street drummer who stayed at the Center for a night," Emily continued before casting Angel a partially stern glance. "And I believe I remember you promising that you would come back for a visit sometime. You never did."

"For what it's worth," Angel replied, "I _was _planning on visiting you again, and bringing everyone with me, too. But I was admitted to the hospital before I got the chance."

"I'm not mad," Emily gave a half smile. "It's just good to finally know what happened to you. I always wondered."

"Not to interrupt, but I don't understand," Roger frowned, changing the subject as he turned to Angel and Collins. "How did you… what are you two….?"

"What's the matter, boy?" Collins asked, smiling over at him. "You thought Angel and I wouldn't try and help keep all of you safe from Lorcán? We've been doing all we could to keep the five of you from walking into his hands from the moment you came to the mansion."

"You mean that was _you_?" Penny's eyes widened in realization. "That dog who stopped us from following Mom's copy, and the crow from the hedge maze that kept us from seeing what was behind the hidden door."

"If you'd gone through that door," Collins explained, "you would have walked right into Dashiell, who would have delivered straight to Lorcán."

"Lorcán's curse prevented us from appearing in our true forms," Angel went on. "The only way we could help is in the form of animals."

"Does that mean," Emily stepped into the conversation, "that the cat who helped me find poor Ancelin's diary…. Was _he _someone else in disguise, too?"

"See for yourself," Angel smiled, glancing over at something over Emily's shoulder. Everyone turned to see the battered black tomcat standing there, staring up at them. In moments, the tomcat had also changed form, becoming a young man with mousy brown hair and warm hazel eyes. Immediately, a strained sound slipped from Emily's throat, her eyes widening and filling with tears.

"Zack," she whispered, throwing her arms around her beloved older brother.

"I told you a long time ago, Cricket," Zack smiled, hugging her close. "I'll _always_ be there to protect you."

"I miss you so much," Emily muttered, her tears now sliding down her cheeks.

"I know you do, Emily," Zack tightened the hug in comforting understanding. "I never meant to leave you the way I did." The others stood by with quiet smiles for a moment. They all knew what seeing her brother again meant to Emily. Finally, after the siblings stepped apart, Penny spoke up.

"Uncle Collins, are you here to help us get back?" she asked hopefully. Collins' smile instantly faded somewhat.

"I'm afraid that's something we can't do," he admitted. "If you want to get back, that's all up to the five of you."

"You mean you're _not_ here to help?" Roger exclaimed in disbelief.

"You're the Elemental Agents, not us," Zack shrugged apologetically. "There's very little we can do now."

"But what are we supposed to do?" Mimi pushed for information. "We can't do this alone." Without any warning, Collins, Zack and Angel started to fade from sight.

"Wait!" Mark cried. "Where are you…?"

"Lorcán's curse is very strong, Mark," Collins explained. "We could only appear to you for a few moments. I'm afraid you're on your own now."

"Just remember this," Angel said, smiling warmly at everyone. "None of you _can _do this alone. Remember that, and you will do fine."

"Zack!" Emily turned to her brother beseechingly, holding out a hand to him. "Can't you….?" Wordlessly, Zack reached out to squeeze her outstretched hand. However, his fingers passed right through her skin, denying them the contact.

"I'm sorry, Emily," Zack apologized, looking close to tears himself. "This is the one time I cannot help you." With these words, Collins, Zack and Angel vanished completely, leaving the Bohemian family alone.

"_Now_ what are we going to do?" Roger complained. "There's no _way_ we'll be able to get back, now."

"I guess this means…we're stuck here," Mark muttered, his face reflecting his defeat. "Forever."

"I wonder what Nana, Maureen, Joanne and Benny will do when we don't return to New York," Emily wondered.

"And I don't want to _think_ about what Lorcán's doing to our sons," Mimi said morosely.

"Well, at least…_we're_ still together, right?" Penny asked softly, glancing at her feet. "Not that I'm not worried about my baby brother and 'cousin', 'cause I really am, but…you know, back when Mom and I still lived at the Center, the one thing I wanted more than anything was a real family, with a mom _and_ a dad, and maybe some brothers and sisters, too. I never said anything about it, though, because I knew that it would be asking too much. I would be very lucky to just have Emily as my mom, since most of my friends didn't have much of a chance of being adopted at all, because most of them were born sick.

"But that's when all of you came along." Penny paused to smile over at Mark, Mimi and Roger. "You came along, and not only did you help Mom adopt me, but you also filled the roles of aunts and uncles. And then, Mark became my dad, too. Because of you, I got the family I'd always dreamed of having, but didn't dare hope for, and so much more. And to be honest, if I have to remain in Limbo forever, I'm glad it's you I'm stuck with."

"I know what you mean," Mimi nodded with a smile. "I remember what my life was like before I met all of you. Even though I had Angel, our friendship wasn't a good enough reason for me to get my life together. I spent almost every night working at the Cat Scratch Club, but even though that paid good, I still barely had enough money for food or rent, because most of the money was used to buy heroin. I don't think I even cared that the drugs were shortening my already limited life, just as long as I could forget about how bad my life was for a short time. If I hadn't went up to the Loft with that candle on that Christmas Eve night, I know I would have died long before now in a dark alleyway after overdosing, with no one to even miss me.

So, I'm _really _glad I met all of you, too. Even if I hadn't been a junkie, and had always been clean; if someone gave me the choice of either sitting in my old apartment, perfectly safe, or being stuck here with all of you, I'd choose being here hands down."

"Yeah," Roger smiled, wrapping his arms around Mimi's waist. "I'd choose the same thing. I hate to think where I'd be if none of us had ever met.

"Even before the heroin and HIV, I was a reckless idiot, and you know it full well, Mark, so there's no point in looking at me like that. I mean, I didn't even bother to apply to college, while you at least started. The only reason I didn't drop out of high school during senior year was because you were my friend, and I wasn't about to just abandon you to fend for yourself against our teachers. If it wasn't for you, Mark, I probably would have ended up as one of those stupid, egotistical rock star jacka-ses who didn't give a f-ck about anyone but themselves, their music, and getting laid every night. Pardon my language, Penny," Roger added, grinning sheepishly over at the twelve-year-old.

"It's okay, Roger," Emily chuckled. "I gave up trying to restrict what words she heard after her tenth birthday."

"Anyway," Roger continued after flashing a smile at the photographer, "I don't think I need to tell you, Mimi, how you helped turn my life around, since you already know that I would still be wasting away in the Loft, too afraid to love or even live again, if you hadn't knocked on our door that Christmas Eve. And you, Emily; I think I can honestly say I never would have gotten the closure I needed from April if you and Penny hadn't came around and helped me learn exactly what happened.

"If this was where we were always heading, if everything we did was only leading us to this, it was worth it. I wouldn't trade all those times for everything, not even a way out of here."

"I used to have problems trusting people," Emily confessed. "For as long as I could remember, everyone I'd ever cared about left. My mom, dad, and brother; they all died, and every time I thought I made a friend, the moment I trusted them enough to tell them about my history with the Rat Fangs, they would immediately sever all ties to me. They didn't want to have anything to do with someone who had once been targeted by a dangerous street gang, because they were too scared of being targeted, too. After all that, I believed that no one would ever stick around for long.

"So, when I met you guys, I kept wondering how long you'd stick around, too. I was so sure that once you learned the truth of my past, you'd be out the door in a heartbeat, which is why I didn't tell you about it until I had to. Even then, I never expected you to stick around, knowing full well that you could all die by staying by my side. But you did. All of you stayed. I never knew friendship like that before we met. And I'll always be grateful for the day Mark crashed his bike outside The Center. You guys did more than help me successfully adopt Penny. You helped me learn to trust people again, and because of that, I can't think of anyone else I'd rather be here with than you. You're more than just my friends, you're my family."

"And what about me?" Mark chuckled lightly. "I'd probably _still_ be in Scarsdale if none of us had met. Even if I'd somehow ended up in New York, I would have gone back after I had such a hard time finding work, except at places like Buzzline. I'd probably have given up filmmaking, too, without having people around to keep me going after my dream. And that means I'd be living in Scarsdale right now, going to a stuffy desk job each day, like my father does. Without you around, even though I'd still be alive, my spirit would have died, and," Mark paused to look over at Emily and Penny, "even if I would have gotten married to someone and had a family with them, I seriously doubt that they would have meant as much to me as the two of you do now.  
"So, yeah. I guess, as long as we're all here together, we'll be aright." No sooner had he said this, everyone began to glow with a bright light.

"What's happening?" Mimi cried, looking down at her hands, which were glowing with a yellow light.

"I…I don't know," Roger's voice shook as he stared down at his own red glow.

"Did…did I say something wrong?" Mark wondered, glancing away from the green light that surrounded his body.

"Not at all, Mark." Everyone turned in surprise as Angel, Collins and Zack appeared again. "You said something right."

"What did he say?" Emily blinked, the blue light surrounding her glowing brightly.

"Did you forget what Ancelin said?" Collins asked. "To break the curse, the Elemental Agents had to come together."

"Does that mean we _did_?" Penny cried hopefully, the silvery-white light contrasting sharply with her strawberry-blonde hair.

"What do you think?" Zack grinned at his niece. "When that book Ancelin showed you said that the Elemental Agents had to come together to break the curse, it meant you had to rely on each other completely. You wouldn't have been able to ucome together ntil you showed that you could. And that's exactly what you did, when you all admitted that you were fine with your apparent fate as long as you were all together."

"I'm sorry we couldn't have told you that before," Angel continued, "but you had to figure it out on your own, or it wouldn't have counted."

"So, does this mean what I think it means?" Emily whispered. "We can get back?"

"Yes," Collins nodded. "Any moment now. And the moment you do, every one of you has to get at the correct point of the pentagram that Lorcán used to curse the mansion."

"But how are we supposed to know which point to stand on?" Mark questioned

"Just look and see which point is glowing in the same color you are now," Zack instructed. "Those are your element colors. Yellow for air, red for fire, green for earth, blue for water, and white for spirit. But you must hurry once you return to the mansion, because Lorcán _will_ try and stop you."

"We'll be able to give you a little bit of time," Angel smiled at her friends. "But it'll be up to you to make that time count."

"We will," Mimi promised. "We're not about to fail again."

"Good luck," Zack smiled at the Bohemians as the world of Limbo faded from sight.

* * *

**AN:** For the encounter Emily and Angel were referring to, check out AlyssaLLBlack13's story, Undiscovered Angel. That's my plug for the month.


	20. Going Home

**AN:** I'm not exactly thrilled with this ending. It seems rather rushed, but if I added more to it, it would probably be dragging on too long. Plus, I was ready to bring this story to an end (at last.) So, please read, enjoy, and review. And thank you for sticking with me to the end.

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Lorcán's cruel smile was the widest ever as he surveyed the spot where the Bohemian family had once stood. At long last, the Elemental Agents had been eliminated forever, and no one would ever break his curse. As for those two fools who once served him, they were no big loss. He could always resurrect others who would follow his orders with far more obedience. Like always, he had come out on top.

Relishing in his victory, Lorcán turned to leave the room, but as he started to move through the doorway, a series of flashing lights erupted behind him. Spinning around to see what was going on, his eyes widened in horror upon seeing the Bohemian family reappear, each one glowing in their individual element color.

"Everyone, hurry!" Mark cried out, looking at the pentagram on the floor, which was glowing the same as them. "Remember what Zack said."

"NO!" Lorcán shrieked as the five of them took a step towards their designated points. Extending his arms, the evil ghost began to produce another fireball to unleash on them, but before the fireball had completely formed, another flash of light erupted between him and the Bohemians, accompanied by a loud bang. When the flash of light had dimmed, the animal forms of Collins, Angel and Zack appeared within the room. Moving as one, the three of them dashed forward, attacking Lorcán and keeping his attention away from their friends.

For a brief moment, the Bohemian family was rooted to the spot, their worry for their loved ones preventing them from doing anything else, but then each of them remembered what Angel had told them, that they had to make the distraction count. Pausing only to share a determined glance with one another, the five Elemental Agents took their positions around the pentagram, following Zack's instructions. The second everyone was in the correct position, the pentagram on the floor illuminated with a bright, golden light. The gold light was so hot, everyone could feel the warmth through the soles of their shoes. From behind them, the Bohemians could hear an antagonized scream of rage and horror. Chancing a glance over at Lorcán, they saw that burning red cracks were appearing all over his body, as if he was being burned apart from the inside. The necromancer fixed them all with a look of pure venom before raising a hand to create another fireball. Just as it started to form, however, they felt the floor beneath them shattering under their weight, and they plunged into darkness.

For what seemed like eternity, they felt themselves falling through a long, dark tunnel. Jus when it seemed as if they'd be falling forever, they landed with an ungraceful but painless thud upon a soft patch of cool grass. Overhead, the sun was shining brightly in a cloudless sky, drenching them all with its warmth. For the longest time, everyone was too confused to move, but they soon let their curiosity win out and got to their feet, with Mimi passing Emily her cane.

Upon looking around, they found that they were standing in a beautiful clearing. All around them, they could hear birds singing, but there was no sign of the mansion where they'd been moments before.

"What happened?" Penny spoke up at last. "Where are we?"

"Right where you just were," a gentle voice replied. Before their eyes, the faint images of Ancelin and Dashiell materialized before them, large smiles of gratitude stretching across their faces. Lying safely in Ancelin's arms was Baby Zack, with Rodolfo standing at her side. The moment he saw his parents, Rodolfo's brown eyes lit up, and he began toddling over to them with cries of 'Ma! Da!' Nearly sobbing in surprise and relief, Mimi immediately moved forward and scooped up her son, followed closely by Roger, who seemed stunned beyond words to see the boy walking without falling once. Meanwhile Ancelin passed little Zack, who was somehow still sleeping, over to Mark.

"Ancelin, what happened to the mansion?" Emily asked the cook.

"The curse has been broken. Lorcán's been defeated at last," Ancelin explained, the smile never leaving her face. "Without him, the mansion can no longer exist, and all our souls are finally free."

"Thank you all, so much," Dashiell continued, bowing to them in respect and gratitude. "You've freed us all. I thank you with everything I am. At last, everyone who has been bound here by Lorcán's curse is free to journey on to their eternal rest."

"We should be the ones thanking you," Mark replied. "We couldn't have done _anything_ without your help."

"What else could we have done?" Ancelin glanced away, clearly embarrassed by the appreciation. "After all, we were the ones who were helping Lorcán destroy you."

"But you turned against him and helped us in the end," Emily pointed out. "Like I told you down in the dungeon, Ancelin. That proves you're braver that you think you are." Before Ancelin could get a chance to respond to Emily's words, a soft yellowish-white light appeared beside them, and Mimi let out a quiet gasp.

"I've seen that light before," she whispered. "On…on that Christmas Eve night, after…." She did not need to finish for the others to know what night she was talking about. Almost as if they were confirming Mimi's statement, Angel, Collins, and the adult Zack appeared within the yellowish-white light, smiling at them all. The three of them stepped forward slowly, enabling them all to express their affection to the Bohemian family. While Angel and Collins were exchanging hugs with Roger and Mimi and beaming down at Rodolfo, Zack placed a brotherly kiss on Emily's forehead before patting Mark's shoulder appreciatively, tenderly stroking his baby nephew's head, and tussling Penny's hair. None of the Bohemians were able to even say a word, knowing that these gestures were the trio's way of giving them a proper goodbye.

Almost reluctantly, Angel stepped away from giving Mimi an extra hug and turned to Ancelin and Dashiell, holding a hand out to them. Taking note of their startled expressions, Roger took a moment to explain.

"I think they're here to lead you to where you're supposed to go," he pointed out. Ancelin and Dashiell cast him a fearful look, as if afraid that the years they spent serving Lorcán had cost them a place in paradise, but Angel's kind smile seemed to banish all their worries.

Together, the Bohemian family watched happily as Ancelin and Dashiell were led into the light by Angel, Collins and Zack, who paused one last time before stepping into it, waving back at their friends and loved ones. This final wave seemed to push Penny into action, for she quickly stepped forward, smiling and waving.

"Ancelin! Dashiell!" she cried out. "Thank you for everything! You too, Uncle Collins, Aunt Angel, Uncle Zack! Goodbye! And thanks again!"

As Penny laughed and waved at her uncles, aunt, and friends, the rest of the Bohemians silently mimicked her waves, but while the teen was still distracted with shouting out her goodbyes, Mimi turned to the others for a whispered conversation.

"I hate to bring this up after everything that's happened," she began, "but what are we going to tell Penny about…about what happened to her in that mansion? About her doppelganger?"

"Nothing," Emily announced at once. "We're not going to tell her anything."

"What?" Roger gaped. "But…don't you think she has a right to know about that? I mean, that's a pretty serious thing to keep from anyone."

"Come on, Roger," Emily looked over at him seriously. "You know as well as I do. Penny's always been a very selfless girl. How do you think she'd feel if we told her about how we had to place her soul into her doppelganger's body? Even though the doppelganger wasn't an actual living person, do you really think she'll see it that way? To her, she'd see it as her living at the expense of someone else's life. She wouldn't be happy knowing the truth, and wouldn't be able to look at her skin without seeing the doppelganger whose body she took."

"I think Emily's right," Mark agreed. "It really _would_ be hard for her to take, and she probably would go through her life feeling guilt over it. I agree it would be best if she _doesn't_ know the truth."

"Yeah," Roger nodded finally. "I know exactly what you mean."

By now, the heavenly light had faded from sight, signifying that Angel, Collins and Zack had left with Ancelin and Dashiell. Penny, completely unaware of the conversation that had been held behind her back, turned to her family, smiling happily. The smile never leaving her face, she hurried over to them and hugged her parents tightly.

"So," she began, not breaking the hug. "What're _we_ gonna do now?" Everyone instantly exchanged a startled glance. After everything that had just happened, they had almost completely forgotten all about the family road trip.

"Um, Penny," Roger began, raking a hand through his hair. "I know you wanted to go see Texas, but…after all of that…"

"I think the best thing for us to do," Mark continued, "is to just head back to the city." To Mark and Roger's surprise, this did not seem to bother her at all. Instead, she looked rather satisfied with that answer.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Home sounds _really_ good right now."

"That's got my vote," Mimi agreed.

"Mine too," Emily sighed heavily. "Truthfully, I think that was enough of a family vacation to last me for a _long_ time."

With that unanimous decision, the Bohemian family made their way out of the clearing where Lorcán's mansion had once stood. Upon reaching the back road, which was no longer flooded, they found the minivan was sitting there waiting for them, with all their suitcases and duffel bags packed neatly in the back. Too relieved and exhausted to question how their things had gotten there in the first place, they piled into the minivan and, after Zack and Rodolfo were secured in their child seats, they began the drive towards the interstate that would lead them back home, ready to bring their family vacation to an end.


End file.
